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Senate panel holds fourth hearing on SB103 to extend multiyear rate-making to gas, water and wastewater; utilities and consumer advocates split
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 103 would let natural gas, water and wastewater utilities elect multiyear (up to three-year) rate plans similar to House Bill 15 for electric utilities. Utilities told the committee the change reduces regulatory lag and aids investment; consumer and manufacturing representatives warned it could allow utilities to 'double-dip' with riders and called for transparency and guardrails.
The Senate Public Utilities Committee held the fourth hearing on substitute Senate Bill 103, which would extend concepts from House Bill 15 to natural gas, water and wastewater utilities by allowing optional multiyear rate-making and a streamlined process for certain large-load contracts.
Utility and industry witnesses said the substitute brings parity and modernization. Joe Clark of Columbia Gas told the committee Columbia serves about 1,500,000 customers across 61 of Ohio's 88 counties and said SB103 would "reduce regulatory lag, improve cash flow and enhance competitiveness" by adopting the multiyear rate concepts used in House Bill 15. He and other utility witnesses framed the change as a tool to make timely infrastructure…
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