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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES
NOTICE OF FILING, PUBLIC HEARINGS . AND PROCEDURAL CONFERENCE
D .P .U. 17= 170 December 5 , 2017
Petition of Boston Gas Company and Colonial Gas Company , each doing business as National Grid,
pursuant to G.L. c . 164, § 94 and '"220 C1VIR 5 .00, for Approval of General Increases in Base
Distribution Rates for Gas Service ,
On November 15 , 2017, Boston Gas Company ("Boston Gas") and Colonial Gas Company
("Colonial Gas"), each doing business as National Grid ("National Grid" or "Companies"), filed
a petition with the Department of Public Utilities ("Department") for an increase in gas base
distribution rates . The Department has docketed this matter as D .P .U. 17= 170, and has
suspended the effective date of the proposed rate increase until October 1 , 2018, to investigate
the propriety of the Companies ' request. The Companies represent that they will implement any
change in rates beginning November 1 , 2018 .
The Companies seek approval for base distribution revenue increases of $ 178,905 , 053 for
Boston Gas and $ 32, 112, 986 for Colonial Gas . The Companies also propose to eliminate the
amounts recovered through the targeted infrastructure recovery program and reduce the amounts
recovered through the gas system enhancement plan and instead recover them through
distribution rates . Based on this proposal, the overall revenue increases sought are $ 68, 188, 370
for Boston Gas, which represents an increase of 13 . 0 percent on a total bill basis, and
$ 19, 213 ,443 for Colonial Gas, which represents an increase of 17 . 0 percent on a total ' bill basis .
National Grid states that if its petition is approved as requested, the proposed revenue increases
will have the following effects :
For Boston Gas Customers :
• a typical residential non-heating customer using 90 therms per year will experience an
annual bill increase of $33 .94, or 15 percent;
• a typical residential heating customer using 744 therms per year will experience an
annual bill increase of $ 80 . 17, or seven percent; and
• Commercial and industrial ("C&I") customers will experience annual increases in the
range of two percent to 23 percent, depending on the amount of their usage .
D .P .U . 17= 170 Page 2
For Colonial Gas Customers .
• a typical residential non-heating customer using 78 therms per year will experience an
annual bill increase of $25 . 75 , or 13 percent;
• a typical residential heating customer using 678 therms per year will experience an
annual bill increase of $ 63 . 90, or seven percent; and
• C&I customers will experience annual increases in the range of four percent to
17 percent, depending on the amount of their usage .
The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ("Attorney General") has filed a
notice to intervene in this matter pursuant to G.L . c . 12, § 11E . Further, pursuant to G.L . c . 12, §
11E(b), the Attorney General has filed a notice of retention of experts and consultants to assist in
her investigation of the Companies ' filing, and has requested Department approval to spend up to
$250, 000 in this regard. Pursuant to G.L . c. 12, § 11E(b), the costs incurred by the Attorney
General relative to her retention of experts and consultants may be recovered in the Companies '
rates .
The Department has scheduled the following public hearings to receive comment on National
Grid ' s filing :
Acton , MA
Monday, January 29 , 2018 , at 7 : 00 p.m .
Acton Town Hall
Faulkner Room , Room 204
472 Main Street
Acton , MA 01720
Lynn . MA
Tuesday, January 30 , 2018 , at 6 : 00 p .m .
Lynn City Hall
City Council Chambers.
3 City Hall Square
Lynn , MA 01901
Haverhill, MA
Wednesday, January 31 , 2018 , at 6 : 00 p.m .
Haverhill City Hall
Room 301
4 Summer Street
Haverhill, MA 01830
D .P .U . 17= 170 Page 3
Barnstable. MA
Monday, February 5 , 2018 , at 7 : 00 p.m .
Barnstable High School
Senior Cafeteria
744 W Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Ouincv. MA
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 , at 6 : 00 p. m .
Quincy City Hall
City Council Chambers
1305 Hancock Street
Quincy, MA 02169
Boston , MA
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 , at 7 : 00 p . m.
Department of Public Utilities
One South Station
Second Floor
Boston , MA 02110
Lowell , MA
Thursday, February 8 , 2018 , at 7 : 00 p . m .
Lowell City Hall
City Council Chambers
375 Merrimack Street
Lowell, MA 01852
A procedural conference in this matter will be held at the Department ' s office on Tuesday,
December 19, 2017, at 2 : 00 p .m .
Persons interested in commenting on National Grid ' s filing may appear at any of the public
hearings or may file written comments by the close of business (5 : 00 p . m .) on Thursday,
February 8 , 2018 .
Any person who desires to participate in the evidentiary phase of this proceeding must file a
written petition for leave to intervene or to participate in the proceeding no later than the close of
business (5 : 00 p .m .) on Monday, December 18 , 2017 . A petition filed late may be disallowed as
untimely, unless good cause is shown for waiver under 220 CMR 1 . 01 (4) . To be allowed, a
petition under 220 CMR 1 . 03 ( 1 ) must satisfy the standing requirements of G .L . c . 30A, § 10 .
Any person who seeks to intervene in this matter and also desires to comment on the Attorney
General ' s notice of retention of experts and consultants must file the comments no later than the
close of business (5 : 00 p .m .) on Monday, December 18 , 2017 .
D .P .U . 17470 Page 4
Written comments, petitions for leave to intervene or to participate, and comments on the
Attorney General ' s notice of retention of experts and consultants should be addressed to :
Mark D . Marini, Secretary, Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, Boston, MA
02110 . Receipt by the Department, not mailing, constitutes filing .
Further, in addition to paper filings with the Department, all documents also should be submitted
to the Department in electronic format using one of the following methods : ( 1 ) by e-mail
attachment to dau. ef linanstate .ma.us and the Hearing Officer, carol. niever wstate .ma.us ; or (2)
on CD-ROM. The text of the e-mail or CD-ROM must specify : ( 1 ) the docket number of the
proceeding (D .P .U . 17= 170) ; (2) the name of the person or company submitting the filing, and
(3 ) a brief descriptive title of the document. The electronic filing should also uiclude the name,
title, and telephone number of a person to contact in the event of questions about the filing . All
documents submitted in electronic format will be posted on the Department ' s website: website
at httD &/hvebl . env . state .ma.us/DPU/FileRoom/dockets/bvnumber (enter " 17- 170") .
A copy of National Grid ' s filing is available for inspection during regular business hours at the
following public libraries : Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton, MA; Newton Free
Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton Center, MA; Leominster Public Library, 30 West Street,
Leominster, MA ; East Brookfield Public Library, 122 Connie Mack Drive, East Brookfield, MA;
Lynn Public Library, 5 North Common Street, Lynn, MA , Salem Public Library, 370 Essex
Street, Salem, MA; Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA; Thomas Crane
Public Library, 40 Washington Street, Quincy, MA; Pollard Memorial Library, 401 Merrimack
Street, Lowell, MA; Sturgis Library, 3090 Main Street, Barnstable, MA ; and Haverhill Public
Library, 99 Main Street, Haverhill, MA .
National Grid' s filing also is available on the Department' s website . A copy of National Grid ' s
filing also is available at the offices of National Grid, 40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, MA 02451 , and
the Department ' s offices, One South Station, 56 Floor, Boston, MA 02110 . To request materials
in accessible formats (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) , contact the
Department' s ADA coordinator at DPUADACoordinator(a ,state .ma .us or (617) 305 -3642 . Any
person desiring further information regarding National Grid ' s petition should contact the
Companies ' counsel, Daniel P . Venora, Esq . , Keegan Werlin, 265 Franklin Street, Boston, MA
02110, telephone (617) 951 - 1400 .
A copy of the Attorney General ' s notice of retention of experts and consultants is available for
inspection during regular business hours at the Attorney General ' s offices, One Ashburton Place,
Boston, MA 02110, and at the Department ' s offices, One South Station, 5th Floor, Boston, MA
02110 . The Attorney General ' s notice of retention of experts and consultants also is available on
the Department' s website . Any person desiring further information regarding the Attorney
General ' s notice of retention of experts and consultants should contact Joseph W. Rogers,
Assistant Attorney General, at (617) 727=2200 .
D .P .U . 17= 170 Page 5
Any person desiring further information regarding this notice should contact Carol Pieper,
Hearing Officer, Department of Public Utilities, at (617) 305 =3500 .
Reasonable accommodations at public or evidentiary hearings for people with disabilities are
available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need, including as
much detail as you can . Also include a way the Department can contact you if we need more
information. Please provide as much advance notice as possible. Last minute requests will be
accepted, but may not be able to be accommodated . Contact the Department' s ADA coordinator
at DPUADACoordinatorastate.ma .us or (617) 305 -3642 .