Oklahoma Natural Gas seeks $28.7M base rate hike, average bills could rise $1.53 a month

Oklahoma Natural Gas is asking state regulators to approve a new rate adjustment that could impact customers across Oklahoma.

” When I saw that I was like oh,” Tulsa Resident Shelby Baze said that was her reaction when she first learned on social media that Oklahoma Natural Gas is asking the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to approve a rate increase.

The company, a division of ONE Gas, Inc., has filed an application with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission requesting review and approval under its performance-based rate plan. ONG says the request is intended to help recover rising business costs and fund continued investment in natural gas infrastructure.

According to the filing, Oklahoma Natural Gas is seeking an increase of approximately $28.7 million in base rates. The company says it has invested roughly $299 million in capital improvements since its last base rate review, including upgrades to aging pipelines and system infrastructure.

If approved, ONG says the proposed adjustment would result in an estimated $2.73 increase to the average residential customer’s monthly service charge. However, after accounting for tax-related credits and other adjustments, the company estimates the net monthly impact would be about $1.53 for average residential customers and $0.42 for low-income customers.

The filing also includes a one-time annual tax credit, known as Excess Deferred Income Taxes (EDIT), which ONG says will be returned to customers in 2027.

“They don’t want to raise our wages, but they want to raise our gas bills because they are saying oh well, we need it for this, or we need it for that,” Baze said.

Baze said her family is already stretched thin. Her husband works two jobs while she stays home caring for their children and in-laws.

Now she worries another increase could make things even harder.

“How are we supposed to survive if our bills keep going up but yet our wages don’t,” Baze said.

Organizations helping struggling families said they are seeing more people needing assistance with basic necessities.

“Especially as other prices are rising as well, makes it more difficult for them to be able to pay for those utilities,” Interim Executive Director of Broken Arrow Neighbors April Russell said.

Russell added that man y families are already making difficult financial choices.

“There is a good percentage of the clientele who don’t even qualify for SNAP because they make 50 to 100 dollars too much a month. So, they rely on food pantries to supplement what they can’t cover on their own because all their money is going to those utilities,” she said.

Baze said she recently faced one of those decisions herself.

“I had to decide whether I was going to put food in my house for the kids or if I was going to pay my gas bill,” she said.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission says the case will go through its standard review process, including discovery, testimony, and a public hearing. A public comment session is scheduled for June 11, 2026, at 10 a.m. in Oklahoma City, where residents can speak in person or submit written comments.

“They need live the life of a normal blue-collar worker and put themselves in that position of a lower-class family to truly understand what they are doing,” Baze said.

The Commission says it does not comment on pending cases but emphasized that any rate adjustment must be proven “fair, just, reasonable, and necessary” before approval.

Oklahoma Natural Gas says the investment is necessary to maintain reliable service and meet customer demand, noting a reported 99.9% reliability rate during extreme weather events. The company also says assistance programs and payment plans are available for customers who may need help managing utility bills.

Community advocates say rising utility costs are adding pressure on households already facing inflation and stagnant wages. Some residents say they are being forced to make difficult choices between basic needs such as food and utility payments.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission will make a final decision after the hearing process is complete.

News Channel 8 reached out to Oklahoma Corporation Commission for comment; here is the statement they provided:

” As with all pending matters, the Commission does not comment on the merits of a case prior to it being fully heard and decided.

This case will follow the Commission’s procedural rules pertaining to rate related proceedings, which includes filing and notice, discovery, and review by an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”), unless otherwise advanced to the Commission en banc. The process allows for intervention by interested parties, submission of testimony and evidence, and opportunities for public comment. Following a formal hearing before an ALJ, the ALJ will issue a recommendation, and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will consider the record before making a final determination.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments or appear and make comments in person in accordance with the notice sent to customers.

Throughout this process, the Commission’s responsibility remains clear: to ensure any proposed rate adjustment is thoroughly scrutinized and only approved if it is fair, just, reasonable, and necessary to serve Oklahoma consumers while maintaining safe and reliable utility service.”

We also reached out to Oklahoma Natural Gas; this is their full statement:

“Oklahoma Natural Gas has filed its annual performancebased rate request to support the safe, reliable delivery of natural gas across Oklahoma. The filing reflects 2025 investments in aging pipeline replacement, customer growth and inflationdriven operating costs, helping maintain a 99.9 percent reliability rate during Oklahoma’s extreme weather.

If approved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the average residential customer would see a net monthly increase of $1.53, or $0.42 for low-income customers, with any changes effective no earlier than June 26, 2026.

We are here for customers who may need support. Payment plans and a full list of available assistance programs can be found at oklahomanaturalgas.com/cares. Customers can also explore energy efficiency rebates at oklahomanaturalgas.com/save-money.”