(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has now scheduled a series of in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input about the proposed merger involving American Water Works Company (American Water) and Essential Utilities (Essential), the parent company of Aqua America and Peoples Natural Gas. According to the application filed with the PUC, American Water and its subsidiaries provide water and wastewater services to 3.5 million customer connections, or more than 14 million people in 14 states, including Pennsylvania. Essential provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services to approximately 5.5 million people in Pennsylvania and nine other states. According to a release in Harrisburg yesterday from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), here is more information about these upcoming hearings:
In-Person Public Input Hearings
In-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
- Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Dauphin County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn Hershey
550 East Main Street
Hummelstown, PA 17036
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Chester County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Penn State Great Valley Conference Center
30 Swedesford Road
Malvern, PA 19355
- Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Washington County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Washington County Crossroads Center
95 West Beau Street
Washington, PA 15301
- Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Lackawanna County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Radisson Scranton
700 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
- Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Montgomery County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
The Liberty Complex at King of Prussia
260 Mall Boulevard
King of Prussia, PA 19428
- Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Clarion County
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
PennWest Clarion University
840 Wood Street
Clarion, PA 16214
For in-person hearings, pre-registration is not available. Individuals wishing to testify at an in-person hearing must sign up at the venue. Administrative Law Judges Emily I. DeVoe and Ann Quimby will preside over the hearings.
Telephonic Public Input Hearings
- Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Toll-free Bridge Number: 888-547-8922
Passcode Number: 74903461
If you wish to testify at one of the telephonic public input hearings, preregistration is encouraged but not required. Failure to pre-register, however, may result in you not being called to testify. If you choose to pre-register, you may pre-register by Noon on Monday, April 27, 2026.
You may pre-register by email or by phone.
To pre-register by email, email the Presiding Officers’ Legal Assistant, Cadi Eberly, at caeberly@pa.gov, and provide the following:
- Your first and last name.
- The time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
- The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
- If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.
To pre-register by phone, please call the Administrative Law Judges’ office at 412-565-3550 and leave a message providing the following:
- Your first and last name.
- The time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
- The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
- A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you.
- Your email address, if you have one.
- If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.
Assistance with Pre-Registration
If you need assistance pre-registering to testify for a telephonic hearing, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above. Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but we will need the information for each individual.
Requests for Interpreters
If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 711.
Hearing Exhibits
If you intend to present any documents or exhibits at a public input hearing, you must email one copy to the Presiding Officers via their Legal Assistant, Cadi Eberly, at caeberly@pa.gov, and one copy each must be sent to every active party listed in the attached parties’ list – included in the hearing notice.
All copies must be received by Noon the business day immediately before the hearing. Proposed exhibits should be properly pre-marked for identification purposes.
Questions
The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility customers before the PUC. If you have questions about the public input hearings or the Company’s requested rate increase, please contact the OCA toll free on 800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.