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Victory? Nicor customers to see $72 million refund

On June 5, 2013, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) issued a final order granting Nicor customers a $72 million refund—nearly 11 years after the case was sparked by an anonymous whistleblower fax to CUB.

A 5-0 Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ruling means Nicor customers will be on the receiving end of a $72 million paycheck in the near future.

While we’re always happy to see customers get a refund, in this case, $72 million is not enough to undo the harm done to customers. That’s why we’re filing a petition for rehearing.

CUB’s case against Nicor began more than a decade ago, when staffers discovered a memo on the office fax machine sent from an anonymous Nicor whistleblower. The fax brought to light a price-gouging scheme that CUB believes robbed Nicor customers of nearly $300 million, forcing them to pay inflated natural gas bills at time when prices were already at record highs.

Special thanks to CUB’s hardworking team of attorneys, including Litigation Director Julie Soderna, who poured more than 10 years of hard work into the case. And a huge thank you to the 1,800+ Illinois consumers who sent messages to state regulators asking for a fair refund. Your voice was heard.

There’s no word yet on exactly how much the refund will be per customer—but it will show up as a credit on current customers’ bills sometime in the near future. We’ll keep you updated. Until then, we’ll be hard at work fighting for a larger refund.