Connecticut’s consumer advocate announced on Tuesday that her office will join an investigation into whether the state’s largest utilities are manipulating the natural gas market. The investigation is led by the state’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority.
PURA is launching the investigation in response to a recent report by the Environmental Defense Fund that alleges local gas distribution companies run by Eversource and Avangrid deliberately manipulated the natural gas market to create shortage conditions that raised energy prices.
Eversource disputes the report saying it lacks credibility.
Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz says her agency is taking part in the investigation because their responsibility includes keeping track of the natural gas market to ensure the market functions as intended.
Katz says she’s hoping there’ll be a swift resolution to the issue so that consumers are not paying exorbitant energy prices in the winter months ahead.
PURA has yet to set a schedule for public comments and hearings.
Copyright 2017 WSHU
