Opposition in the Mahoning Valley to a proposed 30% increase in consumer gas rates from Enbridge Gas Ohio has begun to trickle in.

But given the shocking, unreasonable, excessive and downright unconscionable size of the request to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, opposition to the proposal should gush uncontrollably from all corners of Enbridge’s Ohio service area.

The fight may well resemble the David vs. Goliath model as Enbridge rises as a behemoth in the multinational energy industry.

How behemoth? Enbridge Inc., a Canadian pipeline and energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, owns and operates pipelines throughout Canada and boasts the longest pipeline system in North America. It recently reported 2023 earnings of $5.8 billion. Its acquisition of Dominion Energy Ohio became official in March.

To be sure, the excessive rate hike serves as a fine hello to the former Dominion’s 1.2 million customers even though Dominion originally proposed it.

Fortunately, the proposed surge in costs must go through a long and tedious regulatory route in the PUCO before it can be enacted. That is not expected until autumn at the earliest.

As a result, there’s plenty of time to mount a campaign of robust resistance against this misguided proposal.That campaign of opposition already has begun.

On the state level, the Ohio Consumers Counsel, the statewide watchdog agency for residential consumers in matters tied to their electric, natural gas, telephone, and water services, already has sprung into action.

A recent OCC consumer alert argues this proposed increase is excessive. “We believe it unreasonably burdens Dominion customers who are already grappling with inflation and high energy prices,” the alert states.

The increase, according to OCC, would cost a typical residential consumer more than $100 per year. But that’s not all. The utility also is seeking approval to add extra fixed monthly charges that would start at $8.78 this year and gradually rise to $29.69 per month by 2032. Fixed charges are billed to customers before they use any natural gas and can’t be reduced by conserving gas.

Comments from OCC Agency Director Maureen Willis recently reported by News 5 Cleveland underscore the excessive nature of a 30% hike “I’ve been at the agency for probably 25 years. I don’t think I’ve seen a 30% increase. I’ve said I don’t want to see another one,” Willis told the television news organization in April.

Here in the Mahoning Valley, organized opposition to the proposal has begun to take shape. City councils in Warren and Niles in recent days have unanimously passed resolutions of opposition to the increase that will be forwarded to the PUCO.

Warren Mayor Doug Franklin joined his city’s legislators in a show of unity. “This is, in my opinion, extremely excessive,” Franklin said. “We don’t often have many opportunities, communities don’t, to say that we oppose some of these public utilities that are raising rates … I see unanimous council sponsorship of this (resolution), that means a lot.”

Those voices can ring louder with additional support from public bodies across the Mahoning Valley. That’s why we strongly urge city councils, boards of trustees and boards of education in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties to compose and enact their own resolutions of opposition and forward them promptly to the PUCO.

On a personal level, outcry would be valuable as well. The rate increase, if implemented, could well mean that many on fixed incomes will have to make choices between other essentials such as food, shelter and medicine to cover the cost of heating their home adequately.

The Consumers Counsel offers several methods for consumers to do so — including testimony at yet-to-be-announced public hearings and sending a letter to the PUCO at Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215.

The quickest and easiest way to voice opposition to the proposal though is through online messages. Go to https://bit.ly/dominion-rate-case-23 and navigate toward public comments. State your case, and it will be forwarded to PUCO officials.

With a strong and unified voice from the state watchdog agency, from local community leaders and from consumers directly affected by the proposed action, we would hope Enbridge would downsize its plans for infrastructure improvements and then drop or downsize significantly its plans for such a burdensome rate increase.

Toward those ends, let your voices be heard — now.

editorial@vindy.com