Natural gas rate hike hits Idaho

Lee McGuire NewsChannel 7 Investigative Reporter

Idahoans are now paying more for natural gas than ever before, now that yet another rate hike went into effect Monday. About a year ago, in December of 1999, we paid an average of $62 for natural gas. Then a rate hike in June and colder weather this winter sent that bill up to $95 last month. Take Monday's 20 percent hike into account, and now the average gas bill will be about $114. That's almost twice as much as we were paying just one year ago.

Dori Sumstad, Gas customer: "That's what I hear I'm gonna have to think of other ways to make money just to pay my heating bill."

These days, Dori Sumstad's afraid to open her gas bill. As the rates go up, she's doing what she can to use less gas.

Dori: "We're conserving, turning down the heat, there's nothing else I can do to conserve."

She already gone to energy assistance programs. But they can only help people like Dori for one month out of the year.

Flo McColm, Salvation Army: "That works just great to bring you out of something but if you have an ongoing bill like this hike might be, this raise in fees, it's probably going to affect an awful lot of that."

The Salvation Army runs Project Share, which gives families about a $150 a year to help with bills. But they only $7,700 a month to give out. That doesn't go very far.

McColm: "Sometimes it's gone on the fourth day of the month depending on how many people we have working the phones."

Beyond that, Intermountain Gas says people just need to conserve.

Michael Huntington, Intermountain Gas: "We're doing everything we can to help our customers to first show them how to lower their bill to keep it as low as they can."

And the gas company has a program that lets people pay part of their big winter bills in the summer. For some it's a long-term solution, but for people like Dori Sumstad, those gas bills are too high right now.

Dori: "We have a water heater, furnace, gas stove. At maybe 10 years ago it was a good investment, now it's not."

To qualify for many of those energy assistance programs you'll need to show a past-due bill and prove the gas company's threatening to shut off your service. Intermountain Gas has a list of energy assistance programs in your area.

You can call them at 377-6840. You can also ask for tips on how to winterize your home.

There's also the Salvation Army, which runs Project Share. Their number is 343-3571. And in Ada County, El-Ada may be able to help you as well. You can reach them at 322-1242.

Lee McGuire is the investigative reporter for Idaho's NewsChannel 7. E-Mail Lee

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 16, 2001