Advocates Hail Regulatory ‘Earthquake’ as State Slashes Requested Gas…

Illinois Commerce Commission member Michael Carrigan, Chair Doug Scott and member Ann McCabe are pictured at a commission meeting in Springfield earlier this month. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

CHICAGO – Regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday unanimously approved rate hikes for four major natural gas utilities, but the little-known regulatory body’s decision was perhaps more notable for what it rejected.

The five-member board flexed its regulatory muscle, slashing the utilities’ requested rate increases by as much as 50 percent.

“This was an earthquake in Illinois utility regulation,” Abe Scarr, director of consumer advocacy group Illinois PIRG told Capitol News Illinois after the Thursday meeting.

Scarr and PIRG were among the consumer advocates asking for greater regulatory oversight of the natural gas industry ahead of the requested rate increase from the four utilities that collectively serve 98 percent of Illinois’ gas customers –…