Questar requests $13 million rate decrease

SALT LAKE CITY — Questar Gas on Tuesday asked the Public Service Commission of Utah to lower natural gas rates by $13 million.

If approved, the proposed rate cut will reduce the typical homeowner’s annual bill by about $10 per year, or 1.5 percent, beginning Feb. 1.

“Plentiful supplies of natural gas nationwide and warmer weather have resulted in a glut of natural gas," explained Questar Senior Vice President Craig Wagstaff. "The good news for consumers is that the price we pay to buy gas for our customers is about as low as it’s been in a decade.”

He cautioned, however, that natural gas prices can fluctuate with changes in supply and demand. This latest request comes on the heels of another made in December to decrease rates by $770,000. That request adjusted rates to account for Questar Gas’s system-enhancement and conservation-program costs and was also requested to go into effect next month.

— Jasen Lee Twitter: JasenLee1