OTHER NEWS - Dec. 21, 1991

PUC Orders Utility Rate Changes: Rates for residential customers of Southern California Gas Co. will fall an average of $1.12 a month in summer and $1.51 a month in winter under rulings by the California Public Utilities Commission. The PUC ordered the gas company to reduce rates $106.9 million, effective New Year’s Day, because of reduced costs of gas and lower administrative expenses. That will cut the average residential customer’s monthly bill to $16.06 in summer and $29.94 a month in winter. The PUC allowed a $42-million rate increase for Southern California Edison Co., which the company said would result in rate hikes of about 1%. As a result, it said, Moody’s Investor Service announced that it was considering a downgrade of Edison’s $11.5 billion in long-term debt.