PGW heads into winter with a shutoff hearing unscheduled and a capital budget change from the mayor
Parker sent Council an amendment to PGW's capital budget on Oct. 29. Council's hearing on shutoffs, approved Oct. 22 with 16 sponsors, has no date. State winter protections start Dec. 1.
Philadelphia Gas Works, the city-owned gas utility, is about to land on City Council's desk in two ways. On Oct. 29, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker sent Council a proposed ordinance to amend PGW's fiscal 2027 capital budget. A week earlier, Council approved hearings on PGW's residential shutoffs, which have no date yet. Both come as heating season begins.
For households, the timing matters. Pennsylvania's winter moratorium bars gas and electric shutoffs for nonpayment from Dec. 1 through March 31 for households with incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, according to the Public Utility Commission's consumer guide. Customers above that line are not covered.
The shutoff numbers
PGW cut off service to nearly 30,000 residential customers over five months this year, up 39% from a year earlier, the Philadelphia Tribune reported. PGW said in a statement to the Tribune that affordability "drives decision-making" at the utility and that it appreciated Council's inquiry.
The issue has drawn debate. In an Oct. 30 column, Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson argued that limiting shutoffs could raise costs for customers who pay. He cited PGW sources estimating that covering those costs would add about $43 million to the utility's assistance costs, about 40% more.
What our records add
The hearing has 16 sponsors and no date. Resolution 260897, from 4th District Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., was adopted Oct. 22 and sent to the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities. Every current member except Cindy Bass is listed as a sponsor. Our story on the resolution.
Advertisement
That committee's next hearing is on another subject. Transportation and Public Utilities is scheduled to meet Nov. 13, and the only item on its agenda is a hearing on youth safety on SEPTA. As of Oct. 31, our calendar shows no PGW hearing before Council's last scheduled 2026 session on Dec. 10.
The mayor's capital budget amendment. Parker's Communication 260910 transmits an ordinance "approving the amendment of the Fiscal Year 2027 Capital Budget" for PGW's capital purposes and acknowledging a revised forecast of PGW capital budgets for fiscal 2028 through 2032. The one-page letter does not give dollar amounts. Those will be in the ordinance itself, once it is introduced as a bill. Like other ordinances, it would need a committee hearing before a final vote.
The Gas Commission's deadline is Nov. 13. Separately, the Philadelphia Gas Commission, which oversees PGW's budgets, gave the utility until Nov. 13 to account for gifts and travel received by CEO Seth Shapiro, WHYY reported. Our story.
If you're behind on a gas bill
The PUC's guide says utilities must restore service within 24 hours once a customer pays or meets the conditions set for restoration, and lists other protections for customers (PUC guide).
What's next
- Nov. 12: Council's next stated meeting, where PGW's capital budget ordinance could be introduced.
- Nov. 13: Gas Commission deadline for PGW's response on the CEO's gifts.
- Dec. 1: winter moratorium begins for eligible households.
- A date for the Resolution 260897 hearing, which we will add to its matter page.