Peoples Gas Proposes $202M Rate Increase

CHICAGO –  People’s Gas is seeking a 202 million dollar rate hike with the Illinois Commerce Commission.  If approved, customers would face an increase of about eleven dollars each month starting in 2027.  Utility officials say the rate hike is needed to pay for a pipeline replacement program.  Consumer groups plan to protest the proposed increase.  Citizens Utility Board spokesman Jim Chilsen says Peoples Gas received the biggest gas hike in Illinois history in 2023.  He added that the latest action is a cash grab that happens at a time that is one of the coldest months of the year.  People’s Gas serves 894 thousand residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Chicago.