NARUC task force releases report on natural gas access, expansion

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) recently released a new report on best practices and recommendations for state regulators to encourage and support the expansion of natural gas service in unserved and underserved areas.

The report proposes logistical and financial solutions for expanding natural gas distribution lines and includes a summary of recent natural gas expansion activities by state.

“The expansion of natural gas distribution lines can be prohibitive, but the recommendations included in this report, applied individually to each state, can facilitate natural gas expansion in unserved and underserved areas where there is consumer demand” Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner John F. Coleman, Jr., co-chair of the task force, said.

NARUC’s Task Force on Natural Gas Access and Expansion prepared the report. The task force was established in April 2017 by then-president Robert F. Powelson and the executive committee.

“I have seen first-hand how expanding natural gas service can lower the cost of living for Mississippians,” Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, the other co-chair of the task force, said. “The mechanisms and best practices outlined in the new report will help bolster state efforts to tap into the supply of natural gas, lower energy costs and promote economic growth.”