Virginia gas utility to raise rates again

Customers of Columbia Gas of Virginia will soon see another rate increase.

Chester-based Columbia, whose parent company is NiSource Inc., announced Monday that it is raising rates for the second time in a month to recoup what it pays for natural gas.

Monthly bills for the typical customer who uses 2,300 cubic feet of natural gas will rise by $3.36 a month to $55.70, a 6.4 percent increase.

Monday's announcement comes a month after Columbia raised its rates by more than 18 percent to cover the cost of natural gas purchases.

Virginia Natural Gas, a subsidiary of AGL Resources Inc., is raising rates for the same reason.

Last week, the company said it would raise rates by an average of 10.7 percent from the prior month, and about 35 percent from the same period last year, based on usage of 1,100 cubic feet per month.