Senator introduces bill to re-regulate natural gas

ATLANTA - A Democrat from Savannah introduced a bill in the Senate Tuesday that, if it passed, would re-regulate the natural gas industry. <br> <br> Senator Regina Thomas is asking the Georgia Public Service Commission to declare an emergency and put the delivery of natural gas to retail customers back under some government control. <br> <br> Natural gas prices have risen since the Legislature deregulated the industry in 1998, which opened the door to a dozen or more gas marketers competing for customers. <br> <br> Atlanta Gas Light, which had served as a local distributor for hundreds of thousands of customers, was limited to the role of supplying the marketers. <br> <br> The deregulation also resulted in confusion, customer complaints and unprecedented number of cutoffs. <br> <br> Co-sponsors of Thomas&#39; bill include Senators Horacena Tate and Valencia Seay from the metro Atlanta area and Robert Brown from Macon. All three are Democrats. <br> <br> Last year, the legislature passed a bill that addressed some of the worst problems stemming from the deregulation.