"It sure doesn't surprise me that the numbers are
up," said Ken Reif, director of the Colorado Office
of Consumer Counsel. "This is definitely the
toughest winter we've had in terms of natural gas
bills."

. . .

The rate hikes passed along a combined $618.8
million in increases to utility customers. The
average residential heating bill has increased
from $72.56 in January 2000 to $142 this January.

Rocky Mountain News

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), February 20, 2001