This issue is not to be confused with “free gas”. Free gas is what some surface homeowners get when there is a gas well on their property. Field taps (often called “farm taps”) are where rural surface owners with gathering or transmission lines across them are allowed to tap into the pipeline, set a meter, and pay for natural gas service. The problem is that horizontal shale gas wells in the northern part of the state are the only ones being drilled now, and the production from all wells declines with time. So the supply of gas to these traditional field tap customers’ pipelines, plus the lines’ age, have caused problems. To read about this issue generally go to this web page. To read WVSORO’s comments on the proposal by Hope Gas to the PSC to abandon some lines, but to replace the field tap customers’ heating and other appliances with electric appliances or with propane appliances and a regulated propane supply, go here.
UPDATE: The Public Service Commission has ruled. Because the Legislative session is in full swing we have not had a chance to fully analyze. But here is a copy of the PSC press release.
