Natural-Gas Pipelines Are Old. Will Regulators Let Utilities Invest in Them? - The Wall Street Journal

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ConEd is evaluating how much it needs to spend to safely maintain parts of its gas system amid an expected decrease in usage over time.Photo: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg News

Utilities across the country are trying to boost spending to maintain aging natural-gas pipelines. Regulators in some Democratic states

seeking to limit gas use are saying not so fast.

Companies including PG&E, Consolidated Edison and Public Service Enterprise Group have proposed investing billions of dollars to bolster their pipeline networks, which will remain in use for years even as more customers use electricity to cook and heat their homes. They say such spending is necessary in part to maintain safety and reliability as they work to shrink their gas systems over time.