Tri-Cities natural gas bills are going down. Trump’s tax plan gets part of the credit

Many residents of the Tri-Cities can expect to see their natural gas bills drop significantly starting in November.

Cascade Natural Gas rates will fall by 7.9 percent, according to the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission.

The typical customer of Kennewick-based Cascade Natural Gas will save $4.07 a month, dropping average monthly bills to $47.62.

That comes to an average savings of $48.84 a year for customers using a typical 54 therms a month.

Several factors influenced the new rate, including the wholesale cost of natural gas, conservation programs, spending on infrastructure and Cascade savings from the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

State law authorizes the Utilities and Transportation Commission to determine how much profit can be earned by regulated energy companies and what rates they can charge.

The commission said in January it expected investor-owned utilities to pass through savings from reduced federal taxes to their customers in Washington state.