(KIWA Staff Photo)Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Utilities Commission questioned Black Hills Energy on Thursday after a June inspection of the company’s Spencer service area found more than 100 safety issues across 16 categories.
Commission staff said none of the findings posed a threat to the public, but the high number of problems raised concerns. They found similar issues in other Black Hills service areas, including Council Bluffs. Company attorney Adam Buhrman acknowledged the need for improvement.
Black Hills Energy provides natural gas to 133 Iowa communities. The commission questioned staffing levels and said Black Hills Energy has more than three times as many probable violations as utilities like MidAmerican Energy. Gas operations vice president Kevin Jarosz called the findings eye-opening.
The commission will review testimony and other evidence before deciding what penalties and corrections are needed.
Black Hills serves approximately 160,000 customers in Iowa, including gas customers in Paullina and Primghar in our area, as well as in several nearby communities in Dickinson, Clay, and Cherokee counties.
