Activists blast gas pact

The gloves came off Thursday when two citizen activists squared off against the Utah Committee of Consumer Services, charging that the utility watchdog group has sold out consumers and traded away its independence by reaching an accord with Questar Gas Co.

Roger Ball, the former executive director of the committee, and Claire Geddes, a consumer advocate, are fighting a settlement agreement reached between the committee and Questar that passes on to Questar customers millions of dollars in costs associated with a natural gas processing plant.

Emotions reached a boiling point when a yelling match erupted between Geddes and committee chairman Dee Jay Hammon.

Hammon expressed frustration over what he described as an orchestrated attempt by Ball and Geddes to use the press to malign the committee.

"That's unfair for you to come in here and accuse us of maligning you," Geddes shot back. "And I won't take that kind of garbage off of anybody. We have every right to go out and to look out for ratepayers."

In November, the committee filed a brief saying that Ball and Geddes had no right to intervene in the 8-year-old gas-processing dispute. Geddes said she is infuriated that the committee has taken a position to not allow her and Ball to intervene in the case, more so than the committee's settlement with Questar.

The proposed agreement would charge customers nearly $6 million a year, about $7 a year per customer, to treat natural gas reaching Wasatch Front homes, making the gas more efficient and safer to burn. The Utah Public Service Commission has yet to rule on the matter, but it is expected in the coming days to issue a decision on whether Ball and Geddes may intervene in the proceeding.

Under Ball's direction as executive director, the consumer committee had fought the processing costs, alleging the Salt Lake-based utility created its own problems by allowing so-called coal-seam gas into its pipeline system. In March, Ball was fired by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Reed Warnick, the committee's attorney, said Ball was completely aware of negotiations between the committee and Questar at the time Ball was employed as executive director.

"It is entirely inaccurate to say that the committee did a 180-degree turn," Warnick said. "The proceedings were not secret. Anybody who intervened in a timely manner was welcome to participate in those proceedings. The fact that they chose to wait and do nothing until the final settlement was reached is unfortunate."

Ball, who attempted to respond to Warnick's comments, was initially rebuffed by Hammon.

"Is this to be an entirely one-sided meeting again?" asked Ball, who was then granted 10 minutes to speak.