Oklahoma Natural Gas asks for rate increase

ONG asked for a rate increase of $16.2 million earlier this year. An agreement worked out with commission staff, the attorney general's office and a group of industrial consumers came up with an increase of $9.5 million.

But the gas utility said customers should actually see a decrease in their bills when separate adjustments for fuel costs are taken into account. Several riders, which are separate agreements for changes outside the normal course of business, also will expire and help to lower bills.

Under the proposed settlement, ONG's residential customers will see monthly service charges increase by 96 cents, or almost $12 a year, said Cherokee Ballard, ONG spokeswoman. But combined with the fuel adjustments and elimination of riders, customers should see monthly bills fall by an average of $8.75, depending on usage.

“Basically, this increase requested is to recover our increased business costs and natural gas infrastructure investments that we've made since 2008,” Ballard said. “This is providing us the opportunity to keep our system safe, improve the system and keep providing safe, reliable natural gas to all of our customers.”