The state Public Utility Commission has scheduled a series of hearings in southwestern Pennsylvania to gather public comment on the proposed rate increase for customers of Peoples Natural Gas. Three in-person hearings will be held and another will be conducted via telephone.
On March 27th, Peoples filed a request to raise revenues by about 13.8 percent. If approved, the new rates would increase the average residential monthly bill from $122.20 to $138.23, a 13.1 percent hike that would likely begin in December, just as the winter heating season is gearing up. Commercial rates would rise 15.7 percent and industrial users would pay 11.6 percent more.
The last Peoples Gas increase went into effect in September of 2024, after the company had requested 21 percent but was granted 12 percent.
Two hearings will be held on each day, at 1 PM and 6 PM. The Southwestern PA hearings are on June 2nd in Johnstown at the Pasquerilla Conference Center; June 3rd in Pittsburgh at the Ross Township Municipal Building; and on June 11th at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. The telephone hearings will be on June 11th as well.
In-Person Public Input Hearings
In-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
- Tuesday, June 2, 2026 – Cambria County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center
301 Napoleon Street
Johnstown, PA 15901
- Wednesday, June 3, 2026 – Allegheny County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Ross Township Municipal Building (Board Room)
1000 Ross Municipal Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
- Wednesday, June 10, 2026 – Westmoreland County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Westmoreland County Courthouse
Public Meeting Room (Main Entrance, First Floor)
2 N. Main Street
Greensburg, PA 15601
Administrative Law Judge Charece Z. Collins will preside over the hearings.
For in-person hearings, pre-registration is not required.
Telephonic Public Input Hearings
- Thursday, June 11, 2026
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
If you wish to testify at one of the telephonic public input hearings, preregistration is encouraged but not required. Failure to pre-register, however, may result in you not being called to testify. If you choose to pre-register, you may pre-register by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
To participate in a telephonic hearing, you must:
- Dial the toll-free conference number – 888-795-4352.
- Enter the PIN number when instructed – 72378378.
- Speak your name when prompted, and press #.
- Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.
You may pre-register for the telephonic hearings by contacting UPUC Legal Assistant Christina Biggica, either by phone (717) 783-5453 or email at cbiggica@pa.gov. When pre-registering, you will need to provide the following information:
- Your first and last name.
- The time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
- The telephone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
- A telephone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you.
- Your email address, if you have one.
- If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.
Assistance with Pre-Registration
If you need assistance pre-registering to testify at a telephonic hearing, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above. Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but we will need the information for each individual.
Requests for Interpreters
If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible.
If you register too close to the hearing date, there may not be enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, every reasonable effort will be made to have one present.
TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 711.
Hearing Exhibits
If you intend to present any documents or exhibits at a public input hearing, you must email them to the Presiding Officer at charcollin@pa.gov. The PUC administrative law judge will forward your exhibits to all the parties.
- Exhibits for any in-person public input hearing must be received by the Presiding Officer by 10 a.m. the day prior to the date of the public input hearing that you intend on testifying at.
- Exhibits for the telephonic public input hearings must be received by the Legal Assistant by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
Questions
The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility customers before the PUC. If you have questions about the public input hearings or the Company’s requested rate increase, please contact the OCA toll free on 800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.
