In the northeast, consumers paid 8.6 percent less for electricity in February than they did a year ago, in February 2015. That's almost a 10 percent price cut. 

In the south, consumers paid 3.8 percent less than a year ago. That's a sizable cut too, though not as extraordinary as what northeasterners have enjoyed.

In the Midwest, consumers paid 0.5 percent more than they did a year ago. Roughly equal to increase in the overall consumer price index for the region. There, the dramatic fall in natural gas prices had less of a benefit. 

Did you hear about March 16's Labor Dept. report of the Consumer Price Index? The CPI rose one percent in February 2016, from February 2015. So?

You may not have heard much about the numbers behind the CPI report. You may not have heard that the average price American consumers pay for electric utility service (electric rates) dropped three percent. 

And what consumers pay for natural gas utility service dropped ten percent. This is big news. Electric and gas utility service is becoming cheaper before our eyes. 

Residential electric rates haven't decreased year-over-year since 2002 (US average). But the Energy Department forecasts a decrease in 2016.

The forecast was in the Short-Term Energy Outlook that came out last week. 

It does project that rates will increase in 2017. The agency expects natural gas prices to rebound and rise in 2017, driving electric rates up with them. 

The decrease in residential rates this year will be only the fifth time that the year-over year US average has fallen since 1990. Three of the five times were in the late 1990's.

Continuing from yesterday's column. You might find of interest this excerpt of the March 6th Democratic debate.

The presidential candidates finished their food fight over fracking. Then they clashed over climate change plans: 

CNN's Anderson Cooper: Senator Sanders ... there are a number of Democratic governors in many states who say that fracking can be done safely. And that it's helping their economies. Are they wrong?  

Most of you know the abundance of natural gas, hence its low price, is due to the fracking revolution.  And that the public's electric and gas utility bills are relatively low as a result.

So you might find of interest this transcript of the March 6^th Democratic debate, where the presidential candidates had a food fight over fracking:  

You knew something was up when you received your February issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly. It had more pages and more features. And a new attractive look and feel. 

By now you’ve received your March issue. Still more pages and more features. And an even more attractive look and feel. 

Was visiting NARUC last week. We were talking about Commissioner Ruth Kretschmer of Illinois, who retired after nearly twenty years in 2003. You may recall the column I recently wrote about her, the longest serving female regulator of utilities. 

Which begs the question. Who was the longest serving commissioner, period, male or female?

Across

5. order one ___: thousand

7. watcher of RTO: monitor

9. ___ charge adjustment: annual

11. planning for the whole east: eipc

12. how many megawatts can go: atc

13. in charge of a hearing: alj

14. agency before FERC: fpc

16. accepted as a power plant: qf

17. contract you can count on: firm

18. lines that FERC approves: pipelines

20. big gas law: ngpa

21. depression era law: puhca

23. Carter law: purpa

26. region without markets: south

27. supply's opposite: demand 

Received your March issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly? Then you saw the blood on the pages. 

The fateful year 1929 ushered in two milestones in the history of publishing. That January, just nine months before the stock market crash, Public Utilities Fortnightly put out its first issue. Even more monumental, that same month saw the debut of The Funnies, the predecessor to the American comic book.

The Funnies laid the groundwork for Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, started in 1933. Historians consider it the first true comic book. 

Those depression years were a time of despair. Comics offered welcome if temporary relief.