Columbia Gas Dropping Prices

There’s some good news today for many Columbia Gas of Ohio customers: the company is lowering the bills for budget customers. "Budget customers" are those who spread their payments through the year to avoid higher bills in the winter. The average budget bill is now $82, but Columbia spokesman Ken Stammen says beginning next month, that will fall 35 percent to $53. "Production is healthy, supplies are high. It’s just a complete reversal, really, of where we were two years ago," Stammen says. Stammen says month-by-month customers have seen similar savings in recent years. Stammen credits the mild winter for lower gas demand this winter. Supplies are also high because of emerging gas harvesting methods, including the controversial drilling technique known as "racking" that’s led a gas boom in parts of Ohio and several other states.