Frequently Asked Questions

In most cases, membership will be limited to counties, groups of businesses, and residential neighborhoods. If an individual business would be a large enough user of natural gas, that business may be eligible to individually join the Cooperative and receive service.

Costs may include a nominal fee to join the Cooperative, a cost in aid of construction (CIAC) initial fee, plus costs including purchase, transportation, and delivery of natural gas. These charges are consistent with regulatory policies, guidelines, and procedures set by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Costs may include those mentioned above for residential customers, plus a negotiated fee for procurement and administration of any grant or loan funds that the Cooperative may procure to offset costs of planning and providing service to your business.

The Cooperative is primarily interested in providing new service where none currently exists. We are not a supplier of gas, and will not be available to you through an “energy choice” program. In some instances, the Cooperative may become involved in projects to upgrade systems or capacities of existing service, but should not be viewed as a competitor to natural gas delivery companies that already provide service to an area or individual customer.

If requested, the Cooperative would perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the viability of conversion of your business. Annual usage is one factor that will determine justification for conversion, but there are other factors including seasonal use patterns, length and size of line required to service the business, current price of natural gas and the fuel currently being used, and other factors. For your residence, there are a number of online “conversion calculators” provided by regulated utilities; you may also download our fact sheet “Why Should I Convert to Natural Gas?” to view some cost benefits of converting your residence and specific appliances that utilize other energy types.

You can make your county officials aware of our Cooperative’s programs and services through this Web site, and the downloadable materials you can find here. The Cooperative’s leadership will be happy to contact and meet with County leaders to discuss potential benefits your county might realize from joining.

Please use the “Contact Us” link from the main page, fill in your contact information, and provide a brief description of why you would like to request service.

Natural gas is very safe to transport and deliver, and safety regulations are in place at both the federal and state levels. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is responsible for regulations (mostly interstate) pertaining to the nation’s pipeline infrastructure, especially long-distance transmission lines. You can read about the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s safety programs by clicking here. The American Gas Association has a good summary of industry safety requirements and practices here.

We were incorporated on June as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(12) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Our Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of Pennsylvania on June 9, 2016, and we are governed by a set of Bylaws approved by the Cooperative’s Board of Directors on July 22, 2016. The Cooperative currently has a 10-member Board of Directors from our member counties and SEDA-COG, plus an executive director. The Cooperative is funded through a combination of membership and service fees paid by agencies companies, and individuals, plus state and/or federal grant and loan funds that may periodically be procured to support development of new service.

The Cooperative is not considered to be a publicly-regulated utility, and therefore is not regulated as such by the Public Utility Commission of Pennsylvania. The Cooperative retains more flexibility in determining which areas it may serve, setting fees and rates, and procuring alternative funding sources to support its operations. Although the Cooperative is not a fully-regulated public utility, it does follow standard industry developed policies and procedures designed to ensure safe operation of its systems.

Generally no, because the Cooperative was organized as a private corporation, and is not subject to state Sunshine Laws. At times, private individuals, companies, and other parties may be invited to attend a portion of a Board meeting for specific purposes.

The Cooperative is not directly involved in natural gas production. A main goal of the Cooperative is to keep and use Pennsylvania-produced natural gas in our state to encourage economic development and cost savings, and we support environmentally-responsible production of this resource.