MidAmerican official: High natural gas bills won't be going away

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) - MidAmerican Energy officials told Cedar Rapids residents that no relief is in sight from this winter's high natural gas bills.

""Natural gas will remain high for the next 18 to 24 months,'' said MidAmerican spokesman Kevin Waetke. ""We anticipate prices will be high in the fall and winter again next year.''

MidAmerican officials, appearing at a public meeting at Kirkwood Community College Tuesday night, urged consumers to take steps now to lower natural gas consumption and avoid unexpectedly high bills, steps such as having furnaces serviced, insulating attics, and putting storm wrap around leaky windows.

Waetke said the number of customers signing up for budget billing, which equalizes customers bills throughout the year, was up 65 percent in the last six months of 2000 compared to the last half of 1999. . . .

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 10, 2001

Answers

With supplies running so low, and considering the long lead time in developing gas wells, this is nothing but the truth, truth, and more of the truth.

-- JackW (jpayne@webtv.net), January 11, 2001.