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| Are Natural Gas prices headed higher locally if a rate increase request is honored by the Florida Public Utilities Commission? |
Natural gas prices have tripled since the last Presidential Election beginning in early January of 2021.
From January of 2022 alone natural gas costs have doubled.
Obviously inflation is at a record, 40 year high, interest rates are going up and the costs for everything is going up---so the idea that natural gas could go higher is not out of the realm of the possible.
So when I received this email from a law firm representing a large statewide Natural Gas distributor--I immediately thought this could signal price hikes for this commodity locally.
I was copied, along with dozens of mayors and county commissioners, on this letter to the Florida Public Utilities Commission requesting a rate increase for this gas company, a regional company owned by parent company Chesapeake Energy.
After reading the letter, where Escambia County is mentioned prominantly as an area of the state where this firm had invested in expanding infrastructure, I asked our attorney to look into this and whether or not this would impact customers who buy natural gas from Pensacola Energy.
In an anticlimactic response, I was told that this company does indeed supply Pensacola Energy with natural gas. But, this company is only one of two larger suppliers from whom Pensacola Energy buys Natural gas. (I asked, but did not get the answer to the question of what percentage of total Pensacola Energy gas comes from this firm, the one requesting a price increase) Additionally, it was reported back to us that the prices Pensacola Energy pays to this Chesapeake affiliated company have been negotiated in advance and locked in for a number of years which "should" prevent price increases to end-users locally--regardless of what happens at the Public Utilities Commission when they act on the rate increase request.
So we will see if local customers see steady billing.
If I were to hazard a guess, though, I would assume that the prices will tick upwards---regardless of what was negotiated.
But we will see.
6 comments:
Of course gas prices will go up. Why would we expect anything else?
--NB that many of us predicted the Florida GOP clown car would do nothing meaningful by way of their special session on insurance. Bail out the insurance company, shake their fists at the trial lawyers, but do nothing to address the root problems which includes their DEREGATHON that allowed all this crooked contracting to run worse than ever before. And of course they're going to focus on helping the insurance companies rather than their constituents. Wayyyy too much dark PAC money flowing into their coffers from the insurance industry to touch that third rail.
--NB that after DeSantis got his moment throwing Andrade under the bus on the net metering bill (while it couldn't have happened to a nicer person, he was nevertheless rewarded for the political drubbing he took as everybody's lap dog with a place on the Appropriations Committee Broxson is set to lead), everybody's favorite gov and our delegation have done exactly nothing to help their constituents with FPL's bills. Why would they? Their republican voters who are getting brutalized will kiss their feet for it at the ballot boxes this November, unless good republicans who see what's happening start to speak out.
--NB that in addition to Florida being the worst state in the nation by far per the homeowner's insurance crisis, we are also some of the highest in the country for auto insurance.
--NB that the housing and homeless crisis rages on while the Florida GOP trusts, for good reason, that their electorate will be fooled by fluffy positivity cult Facebook posts on feel-good mutual backslapping on how much they all care about people with disabilities and mental problems. While they backdoor the money around for their task forces and fake veteran non profits with no public accountability whatsoever.
Commissioner Bergosh, how you doing today? There's my fifth ask. Because my other four "check in" calls today were *actually* trying to find resources for
(1) people in desperate financial straits WHO. HAVE. NO. HELP. while their lord of the flies FrEeDumB! government could care less, and
(2) trying to to help facilitate any solution for mental health challenges in neighborhoods when THERE. IS. NO. HELP. BECAUSE. THERE. IS. NOTHING. AVAILABLE.
Please thank Sally for actually having a material impact on suffering right now. Because God knows there are precious few concerned with it. And so yes, of course gas prices will go up. Luckily, most gas customers have more money than electrical customers, so they should be able to sustain it, while old people are baking in their houses this summer and going without their medication because FPL shut their power off.
Any republicans sick of the DeSantis Banana Republic yet?
Wanted to follow up on my above comment to thank Community Health for coming through in a big way. Yesterday I received such kind and helpful assistance from them, and was reminded what stellar people they have working for the organization. After batting zero after zero on so many challenges people are having these days--no help for FPL, no help for insurance, neighborhood crime increasing (through no fault of ECSO--the sheriff can't fix the affordable housing crisis), and homeless situation getting worse--Community Health came through in a big way with the possibility of assistance for someone who really needs it. I don't know how they managed to do such yeoman's work on covid in a community with so many deniers, but they somehow carried such a large part of the weight on their backs. And after hitting countless dead ends lately with being able to help anybody with their pressing problems, it was such a blessing to have that crucial resource kick in and assist with getting things sorted out. We are so lucky to have them.
WHAT???
Seems I remember seeing the Chesapeake name when Next
Era was putting in the pipeline to Crist Plant from Alabama. Maybe.
1219
Don't try to make sense of it.
1:42, if you'd like to cite particular points in my post so I can help you make sense of it, I'd be happy to. Go ahead and paste the points you think are confusing and I'll clear it right up. If not for you, for the other people reading here.
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