MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The state Public Service Commission has ordered Hope Gas to hold three public meetings to better explain their farm tap proposal.
The total area includes 3,000 miles of pipelines that serve 15,000 customers, and the area to be converted impacts 1,000 feet of pipeline and three percent of the customers. The current condition of the pipelines which feed those homes are unsafe, unreliable, and/or uneconomical for the company to continue to maintain, operate, or replace. Hope Gas hopes to provide those customers with propane or electric heaters and would pay for the installation and supply of propane in the future.
There are 479 farm-tap customers on the gathering system and another 150 farm-tap customers served by Diversified pipelines in Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Marion, Mason, Monongalia, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood counties.
Hope has proposed to convert those customers to propane at no cost to them at an estimated cost of $10,000 per customer plus $2,000 for propane storage and service lines. Hope is also offering an electric option for customers who select it.
The Consumer Advocate Division determined “here is a high level of customer confusion which needs to be addressed,” and ordered Hope to hold three town hall meets in convenient locations to explain the plans, show maps, and answer questions.
The PSC will accept written comments through Dec. 9.