Actually, the gas supply part of the business has been deregulated for many years. Gas is bought and sold on a large and established free market. As with any market, price is driven by supply and demand. Those forces cause the price to be highly variable. Right now, supply and demand is out of balance.
Demand is ahead of supply.
That has driven up the price. Increased production has started, but it most likely will not effect prices this winter. We are investigating various ways to purchase gas at less cost and to insure supply to meet demand. But we, like every other gas utility in the nation, are subject to the influences of the market. We also are encouraging customers to shop around.