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Restaurants and residents press PUC on Hawaii Gas rate request; engineer urges tax review
Summary
Local restaurateurs and residents opposed Hawaii Gas’ proposed rate increase at the PUC hearing; a former refinery employee recommended investigating alleged excise-tax charges at the refinery that he says could lower gas supply costs by 3–4%.
Local businesses and residents used a public hearing before the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to press concerns about Hawaii Gas’ proposed rate increase, while a technical witness urged tax and supply-chain scrutiny that he said could lower costs.
Michael Miller, owner of Tiki’s Grill and Bar and speaking for the Hawaii Restaurant Association, said he became aware of the hearing only recently and warned that a ‘massive’ immediate increase would threaten small restaurants and mom-and-pop operators. "We're really concerned on how this is gonna affect, not just a large business, but a lot of small mom and pops," he told commissioners.
Ted Metros, a petroleum engineer who formerly worked for Par Hawaii Refining, told the commission he had pursued legal action against his former employer and alleged the refinery had charged excise taxes on feedstocks in a manner that increased downstream costs. He said the added 4.5 percent at the refinery level could translate to roughly 3–4 percent savings to end customers if resolved and urged coordination with the Department of Tax to investigate. "The excise tax is a burden on everyone," Metros said, and he recommended the issue be resolved before rate increases go into effect.
Sean Andrews, a resident and Hawaii Gas customer, spoke online in opposition, saying he reviewed the company's materials and was not convinced the proposed increase was justified. "I am not convinced that the proposed rate is justified," Andrews said, and argued the increase would harm households already facing high costs of living.
Hawaii Gas representatives reiterated they would remain available after the formal hearing to answer questions and submitted a public presentation into the record. The Division of Consumer Advocacy said it would conduct discovery and independently evaluate the company's support for the requested increases before making recommendations to the PUC.
The hearing record remains open; those unable to testify can send comments to puc@hawaii.gov or mail them to the Public Utilities Commission, 465 South King Street, Room 103, Honolulu, HI 96813, referencing docket 20240158.
