The Nation - News from Aug. 24, 1987

Many state regulatory commissions are letting industry get more of the benefit from falling natural gas prices than homeowners get, a consumer advocacy group said. The Citizen-Labor Energy Coalition said a survey of 81 natural gas distribution utilities found that in 57, residential costs did not fall as fast as the utilities’ overall gas cost from 1983 through 1986. In 37 of the 57, prices charged to industry declined more than the price the utility paid did, the survey found. The group said the 57 companies got $1.5 billion more from residential customers than they could have if falling prices had been passed to all customers dollar for dollar.