ONG proposes plan to help area schools

Another Oklahoma company is pitching in to help financially strapped schools. The Corporation Commission has tentatively approved Oklahoma Natural Gas' request to use a million dollar settlement to

Wednesday, January 22nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Another Oklahoma company is pitching in to help financially strapped schools. The Corporation Commission has tentatively approved Oklahoma Natural Gas' request to use a million dollar settlement to help some area school districts with their gas bills.

For ONG, it was a matter of using settlement money to give some customers pennies, or giving Tulsa area schools thousands.

Here's it how it works out:

Over the last 20 years, the Kansas Gas utilities were involved in a dispute with natural gas suppliers. When ONG bought a Kansas utility, they assumed a share of that lawsuit, and thus a share of the settlement - about one and a half million dollars.

ONG representatives said if they distributed the money to ONG customers, it would work out to about 12 cents a month. By targeting the schools that are ONG customers, it would have a more substantial impact.

Here are some of the estimated savings for area schools:

Tulsa Public Schools - about 200 thousand dollars
Broken Arrow - more than 30 thousand
Union - 24 thousand
Sand Springs - more than 20 thousand
close to that 20 thousand for Jenks and Owasso.

Bill Johnson, TPS Assoc. Superintendent: "This year has been a very tough year for all of us and these kinds of donations help us to meet those things that we couldn't do otherwise."

The Corporation Commission is expected to give final approval tomorrow morning.