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John Daley Reporting"Absolutely. Scare tactics, intimidation."
That's the reaction from a group of Questar customers and stockholders after getting a subpoena to testify from the natural gas monopoly. Is it routine or meant to send a message?
Five Questar Gas customers have been delivered subpoenas. The legal notice "commands" them to appear before the company's attorneys to answer questions about their dealings with a pair of consumer advocates.
Questar maintains it is not trying to silence anyone, just trying to clear up what it sees as some "misleading" information from a pair of consumer advocates. But their own customers, who've gotten subpoenas, don't see it that way.
Retiree Larry Norman got one.
Larry Norman, Questar Customer & Shareholder: "Big corporation against the little guy."
So did fellow Questar customer and shareholder Gwen Schamel.
Gwen Schamel, Questar Customer & Shareholder: "I suspect it might be an intimidation tactic. Question: does it feel that way to you? Yeah, yeah. Large corporations do have a tendency to do this sort of thing."
The pair are among five Questar customers, three of them shareholders, who've been subpoenaed to answer questions about their dealings with two utility watchdogs, Roger Ball and Claire Geddes, whose petition they signed.
When Questar altered the source of natural gas supplied to your home, a battle broke out over who should pay the $19 million cost to remove carbon dioxide from that gas. The advocates argued Questar, not consumers, should pay, but the Public Service Commission sided with Questar.
Questar says last year's big rate increase was not connected to the conversion issue, but implies Ball and Geddes misled others into thinking it was.
Chad Jones, Questar Spokesman: "We're concerned they were misled and we want to know what information they've received. We're sorry it's come to this, but our hand was really forced once they cast their lot with Mr. Ball and this was the only way we had to communicate with them."
The subpoenaed customers say if the move was intended to silence them, it's not working.
Gwen Schamel, Questar Customer & Shareholder: "I do know that a large corporation with a large legal staff could probably make things difficult for me. But gosh, I think if they tried to turn off my gas, wouldn't that kind of be illegal?"
Larry Norman, Questar Customer & Shareholder: "Most of the ratepayers, I imagine, would be easily intimidated, but I've been in the business field my entire life and I don't intimidate easily."
A spokeswoman for the Public Service Commission says they complied with Questar's request because that's what the law requires. The next step in this case comes Tuesday. The Public Service Commission will be holding a hearing here in Salt Lake, Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. to determine whether or not to order Questar's customers to testify.
