Dominion East Ohio to Keep Much of Its Overcollections.

Byline: Betty Lin-Fisher

Oct. 25--Dominion East Ohio Gas has overcollected $100 million from all of its 1.2 million customers, but only the state's low-income Dominion customers will be benefitting from the windfall.

And a lot of that $100 million will likely stay in Dominion's coffers, according to Rob Tongren of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel.

The company said the $100 million "overaccrual" was found during an auditing process earlier this year.

Yesterday, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved a plan to give credits of up to $500 to delinquent low-income customers who have either had their gas shut off or who are way behind in paying their bills. In order to qualify, customers have to come up with a like amount. That's almost identical to a proposal by Dominion, except it calls for even more low-income customers to qualify.

But the real …