The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has authorized Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc., a local distribution company (LDC), to 1) expand transportation "to potentially capture all residential customers," and 2) institute a voluntary capacity-assignment pilot for residential and small commercial users only. The new transportation service will give residential customers the option of purchasing gas from a marketer by allowing them to aggregate in groups of up to 50 to meet the 5,000-Mcf volume threshold in the tariff. The rate will be derived by eliminating the gross receipts charge and commodity component from existing tariffs.
The capacity-assignment pilot will employ the same schedule of rates as the new transportation service, except that the delivery charge is calculated separately and does not include storage commodity costs. The pilot program is similar to the new transportation offering but will allow firm capacity to be assigned to a marketer. Pennsylvania Pub. Utility
Commission v. Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc., R-00963688, Aug. 8, 1996 (Pa.P.U.C.).