State Representative Mike Marron says that the massive spike in Westville’s natural gas bills in February is the issue that residents are calling his office about the most in recent weeks. And he says he is trying to find a solution at the state level to their problem.
The issue stems from the cold spell that hit Texas in mid-February, which caused pipelines in the Lone Star State to freeze. That, in turn, is now on the customers to pay.
“People that are used to $150 a month in a natural gas bill are now seeing $1,500…I’ve even heard of up to $2,000 a month for a natural gas bill, that they had no idea was coming,” Marron explains.
Marron and Westville Mayor Mike Weese testified at a recent State House hearing that focused on the issue, which Marron says has also hit other communities around the country. He says that the state has a low-interest loan program that is available for communities to receive funding to help pay their bills. But, he also wants to prevent the situation from happening again.
“…When we have another issue like we did in February, that we’re not going to see these supply disruptions and price spikes that really have devastated people in the village of Westville,” he says.
House members are also proposing an omnibus energy bill for the state, and Marron hopes that the Westville case will play a role in the discussion on the bill.
