Pursuant to the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act and the Wyoming Public Service Commission’s (Commission) Rules, the Commission hereby gives notice of the Application of Black Hills Wyoming Gas, LLC d/b/a Black Hills Energy (BHWG or the Company) for authority to remove $29,409,458 from its Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) mechanism and implement a February 2021 Extreme Weather (FEW) rate.
1. BHWG is a public utility as defined by Wyo. Stat. § 37-1-101(a)(vi)(D), subject to the Commission’s jurisdiction pursuant to Wyo. Stat. § 37-2-112.
2. On April 30, 2021, BHWG filed its Application, together with testimony and exhibits, requesting authority to implement a FEW rate of $0.1226 per therm, for all customers taking service under its Regulated GCA Option as of February 28, 2021. The Company states it submitted its proposal in response to the February 2021 extreme weather event that contributed to significant commodity cost increases due to extremely high demand and unique natural gas production interruptions. BHWG states the $27.6 million in purchases made during this period were prudently incurred and necessary to maintain system reliability and keep services available to customers in severe, life-threatening weather conditions.
3. The Company proposes to recover through the FEW over a three-year period, by assigning the rate to all customers taking service under the Regulated GCA as of February 28, 2021. The Company’s proposed FEW rate will follow these customers, even if a customer elects to move service from the Regulated GCA to a Choice Gas Supplier. The Company states this tracking ensures the gas costs incurred, while a Regulated GCA customer, cannot be avoided by changing elections under the Choice Gas program. The Company states that any customer electing to move service from a Choice Gas Supplier to the Regulated GCA after February 28, 2021, will not be subject to the FEW rate.
4. The Application is available for inspection by any interested person during regular business hours at the Commission’s offices in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Application is also available on the Commission’s website at https://psc.wyo.gov/ or BHWG’s website at www.blackhillsenergy.com.
5. Anyone wishing to file a statement, intervention petition, protest or request for a public hearing in this matter must do so in writing filed with the Commission on or before June 14, 2021. Any intervention request filed with the Commission shall set forth the grounds of the proposed intervention or request for hearing as well as the position and the interest of the petitioner in this proceeding. Please be sure to mention Docket No. 30026-45-GM-21 (Record No. 15786) in all correspondence with the Commission.
6. If you wish to intervene in this matter or request a public hearing which you will attend and you require reasonable accommodation for a disability, call the Commission at (307) 777-7427 or write to the Commission at 2515 Warren Avenue, Suite 300, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002. Communications impaired persons may contact the Commission through Wyoming Relay by dialing 711.
Dated: May 14, 2021.
Public Notice No. 10958. To be published in the Platte County Record - Times May 26 and June 2, 2021.
