National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. projects natural-gas rate increase in Aug.

ERIE, PA. — National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp., which has some 209,000 customers in 14 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania, including Mercer and Venango, is projecting an increase in overall gas cost expense totaling about $19.4 million or 8.6 percent beginning Aug. 1.

National Fuel has submitted a state-required purchased gas cost projection from Aug. 1, 2011, to July 31, 2012, to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

If approved as filed, in August, the monthly bill for a typical residential customer using 95,000 cubic feet of natural gas annually would increase from $82.93 to $90.04 per month, said Nancy Taylor, senior manager of corporate communications.

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