The rate increase that Peoples Natural Gas is requesting will not affect most Butler County residents if approved.

Peoples announced Monday that it filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for a base rate increase of $94.9 million to support its long-term infrastructure improvement plan to replace aging pipelines.

If approved, most Peoples customers would see an increase of about $10 in their monthly bills and Equitable division customers would see an increase of about $14.

However, most county residents won't be affected because they were customers of the former T.W. Phillips Gas and Oil Company, which Peoples acquired several years ago, and are billed under a different tariff than other Peoples customers.

Peoples spokesman Barry Kukovich said the 65,000 former Phillips customers in the county wouldn't be impacted by the rate increase.

“Our request for a rate increase doesn't affect those customers whatsoever,” Kukovich said.

Fewer than 10,000 customers in Cranberry Township and the southern portion of the county will see higher rates if the state approves the increase, he said.

Former Phillips customers in parts of Lawrence, Armstrong, Venango, Beaver and Allegheny counties are also safe from the proposed rate increase, he said.