Atlanta, January 3, 2012 - Georgia Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise today requested that Georgia's natural gas marketers file briefs with the Commission by Wednesday, Jan. 11, to explain the contradiction between a federal report that Atlanta area consumers paid

more than 37 per cent higher natural gas prices in November 2011 compared to November 2010, and a report in the Dec. 31, 2011 Wall Street Journal headlined "Natural Gas Falls to Two-Year Low."

The U.S. Labor Department Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in a Dec. 29, 2011 news release that "Atlanta area consumers paid 37.1

per cent more than the U.S. city average for utility (piped) gas in November 2011, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)." However, the Wall Street Journal article says "U.S. natural gas prices fell to

their lowest point in more than two years, underscoring how the nation's booming energy business is becoming a victim of its own success."

Commissioner Wise requested that the marketers be prepared to address their filings during the Commission's Jan. 11, 2012 Energy Committee

meeting.

"There appears to be a disconnect between the Bureau of Labor Statistics report versus this report in the Wall Street Journal," said Wise. "I'd like to hear from the marketers to explain these conflicting reports," Wise added.

Commissioner Wise served as Chairman of the Commission for 2011. He is a past President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility

Commissioners (NARUC) and currently is a member of the NARUC Board of Directors. He is serving in his third term on the Georgia Public Service

Commission and previously served as Commission Chairman in 1997, 1999 and 2006. Commissioner Wise's full biography is available on the

Click here to visit the Commission website