Peoples Gas pipe program once again over budget, behind schedule
The troubled Peoples Gas pipe replacement program is a poorly designed, mismanaged, bad deal for Chicago.
The troubled Peoples Gas pipe replacement program is a poorly designed, mismanaged, bad deal for Chicago.
The utility, which delivers home heating and cooking gas, has known for decades that it needs to replace aging, at-risk gas mains. But a year-end report released February 14 revealed that its pipe replacement program was once again over budget and behind schedule, costing $295 million to retire 52 miles of gas mains—or $5.7 million per mile.
“For a project spanning decades, falling behind schedule or going over budget any one year is not necessarily a sign of failure, but doing so every year is,” said Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director Abe Scarr. “Forcing Chicago heating customers to pick up the tab for this program is unacceptable.”
Illinois PIRG is calling on decision-makers to protect Chicago gas customers and reform this failing program.
Photo: Efforts by utility Peoples Gas to replace aging pipelines in Chicago have been consistently over budget and behind schedule for years. Photo Credit: Eric Fischer via Flickr, CC BY 2.0
