Utilities Division

Gas

Natural gas, also known as methane, is an odorless, colorless fuel that burns cleaner than many traditional fossil fuels. It is one of the most popular energy sources today. Natural gas can power everything from a massive power plant to automobiles to your home heater or fireplace. The distinctive odor commonly associated with natural gas is actually added by the distributors and pipelines as a safety measure so you will know when you have a leak or when you have left an appliance on.

Natural gas is the energy source used by many people in Arizona to heat their homes or businesses. A number of companies distribute gas throughout Arizona. Natural gas is also a popular fuel for generating electricity in Arizona, with many natural gas power plants helping to meet Arizona's electricity needs.

Arizona's local gas companies buy natural gas from producers in the supply basins and then pay the interstate pipelines to transport the gas to their local service territories. Arizona gets its natural gas from two main underground supply basins: the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and the Permian Basin in Texas. The gas is then injected into the interstate pipeline system for delivery into Arizona. Arizona is served by a number of interstate pipeline systems including Kinder Morgan's El Paso Natural Gas system, Energy Transfer Partners' Transwestern Pipeline system, Dominion Energy's Soutehrn Trails Pipeline, and TransCanada's North Baja Pipeline.The northern part of the state is served by El Paso Natural Gas Company's northern system, Cross Country Energy Corp's Transwestern pipeline, and Questar's Southern Trails pipeline. The central and southern part of Arizona is served by El Paso Natural Gas Company's southern system.

The Commission has limited jurisdiction over the propane gas industry. The Commission regulates propane systems that are also public utilities such as Alliant Gas and Copper Market. Additionally, our Pipeline Safety Section oversees state schools on Indian reservations that use propane through a distributed system serving multiple buildings. The Commission does not regulate consumer propane filling stations such as the neighborhood station where a consumer might refill a gas grill tank.

Public Information:

• Map of Arizona's Gas Companies
  
• List of Regulated Gas Companies
  
• Gas Company Annual Reports
• Gas Company Tariffs

Helpful Links:

• ACC Decoupling Policy Statement
• ACC Policy Statement Re. Natural Gas Infrastructure
• Applications and Forms
• Energy Saving Solutions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Financial Assistance Programs
• Gas Outages in the Southwest 2011
• Gas Rules
• Gas Terminology
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
• PGA Rates
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
• Pipeline Safety Section
• Propane Prices: What You Should Know
• Residential Gas Prices:  What You Should Know
• Transportation Safety Institute (TSI)
• Underground Facilities Law
• Winter Preparedness