Consumer advocate to ask PUC to reconsider gas rate case

Nevada Consumer Advocate Eric Witkoski said he plans to file a petition today asking the state Public Utilities Commission to reconsider its recent decision in the Southwest Gas rate case.

The commission ruled on Oct. 28 that consumers in Southern Nevada would see their natural gas bills drop 2.5 percent this winter, a move that reduced the average monthly winter bill from $74.41 to $72.56 beginning Nov. 1.

But Witkoski said at the time of the order that the commission could have lowered bills by 8.3 percent if commissioners had used an expanded set of fuel-price data from Southwest Gas.

Commissioners said in their order that Nevada law didn't allow them to use the fresh figures. They also noted that neither they nor the Bureau of Consumer Protection had time to audit the added numbers.