$900,000 and Growing: How Wyoming Community Gas Reinvests in the Communities It Serves
A new gazebo in the park in Edgerton. Landscaping at Bobbi’s House in Douglas. College scholarships at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington. Car seats for kids in Casper. A hot meal for the hungry in Laramie.
These projects—and dozens more across Wyoming—have been made possible in part by a choice that community residents make for heating their homes during the Choice Gas selection period.
That choice is Wyoming Community Gas.
“Many people don’t realize that they have a choice when it comes to their natural gas supplier,” said Natalie Flood, Senior Business Development Manager for Wyoming Community Gas. “When they choose Wyoming Community Gas, they are doing much more than simply making sure their homes are warm and comfortable with competitively-priced natural gas. They are also helping make their communities even more vibrant and enjoyable.”
When they choose Wyoming Community Gas, they are doing much more than simply making sure their homes are warm and comfortable with competitively-priced natural gas. They are also helping make their communities even more vibrant and enjoyable
Wyoming Community Gas has been a supplier since the Choice Gas program began in 1996, providing a variety of competitive pricing options for homes and businesses in the communities it serves.
Choice Gas is a Wyoming program that allows customers to choose a natural gas supplier that best suits their situation and their budget. Choice Gas provides consumers with a greater selection for their natural gas supply—allowing them to “shop around” for a supplier that provides the price, service and budget options that make the most sense for them. The Choice Gas selection period occurs during April of each year. This year the Choice Gas selection period runs from April 5-25, 2019.
Since 1996, Wyoming Community Gas has returned more than $900,000 to the member communities that make up the Wyoming Community Gas consortium. These distributions have helped fund tourism kiosks in Rawlins, park improvements in Moorcroft and Midwest, a splash pad in Riverton, new tree plantings in Sinclair and Glenrock and dozens of other projects. “Many of these projects simply would not have happened as quickly—or at all—without these dollars being returned to the communities,” Flood said. “Every customer who chooses Wyoming Community Gas helps us increase our reinvestment in these hometowns.”
In addition to the $900,000 in member distributions over the years, Wyoming Community Gas offers an annual grant of $5,000 which is available to all communities within the Choice Gas service area. Information on these grants can be found here.
Governed by Wyoming hometowns.
Wyoming Community Gas is the only Choice Gas supplier governed by Wyoming communities. It’s a not-for-profit consortium of municipalities that operates as a hometown supplier of natural gas. “When the Choice Gas program came into being in 1996, several Wyoming communities determined that they needed to provide their residents and businesses with a hometown, locally owned choice for natural gas supply,” Flood said. “Wyoming Community Gas was created to give Wyoming hometowns more options and more control—and create an opportunity for some of the dollars their residents spend on natural gas to come back to the community.”
The board of directors—the Joint Powers Board—is comprised of elected officials and municipal staff from the communities served by Wyoming Community Gas. “We truly are community-driven and community-led,” Flood added. “Because of that relationship with our communities, we are able to reinvest thousands of dollars each year into those communities through our annual grant program.”
What you are “choosing” in the Choice Gas program.
With the Choice Gas program, customers have the opportunity to select the source or supplier for their natural gas. Natural gas supply is priced on a “per therm” basis, which is approximately the energy equivalent of burning 100 cubic feet of natural gas.
The bill for natural gas still comes from Black Hills Energy, the utility responsible for delivery, distribution and invoicing for natural gas service. “When you choose Wyoming Community Gas as your supplier, you will see us listed as such on your Black Hills Energy utility bill and the rate per therm is noted under the ‘commodity charge’ on the bill,” Flood added.
We’re putting money back into the communities we serve and that is a big difference-maker for many of our customers when it comes to choosing their natural gas supplier
At the beginning of the Choice Gas period in April, residents receive a ballot in the mail alerting them of the opportunity to choose their natural gas supplier. “If you’ve already selected Wyoming Community Gas in the past and wish to continue service with us, you can simply ignore the ballot,” Flood said. “The per therm price will be finalized after the selection period is over.”
New residents or people moving to a new address outside the April selection period can choose Wyoming Community Gas at any time of the year simply by signing a Black Hills delegation agreement.
“We’re putting money back into the communities we serve and that is a big difference-maker for many of our customers when it comes to choosing their natural gas supplier,” Flood said.
For more information, visit WyomingCommunityGas.org