Overview

• The appeal by the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio contests PUCO’s January 2023 deal that raises the fixed monthly customer charge from $36.15 to $58 by 2027.
• Opponents argue the rate design would allow Columbia to obtain roughly 70% of revenue from fixed charges, diminishing conservation incentives and disproportionately impacting low-usage customers.
• The settlement also eliminated nearly all utility-run energy efficiency programs for non‑low‑income customers, leaving only the low-income WarmChoice weatherization program in place.
• PUCO and Columbia defend the agreement as a safety and infrastructure compromise, highlighting a $68.2 million annual revenue increase versus the utility’s initial $221.4 million request and citing $70 million for WarmChoice plus a $3.5 million shareholder-funded bill‑payment aid fund.
• Columbia has asked the court to dismiss the appeal, while critics point to NiSource profits and CEO compensation to question the need for higher guaranteed fees.