{{Short description|Utility company for the Chicago area}} {{Redirect|Peoples Gas|the similarly named, unrelated company in Florida|TECO Energy}} {{for|the UK supplier|People's Energy}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox company | name = Peoples Energy | logo = Peoples Gas Logo.svg | logo_size = 250px | logo_caption = Logo of Peoples Gas | logo_padding = | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | trade_name = | former_name = Peoples Gas Light & Coke Co. | type = Subsidiary | traded_as = {{NASDAQ|WEC}} | industry = Natural gas production and supply | fate = | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | successor = <!-- or: | successors = --> | founded = {{start date|1849}} in Chicago | founder = <!-- or: | founders = --> | defunct = | hq_location = | hq_location_city = Milwaukee, Wisconsin | num_members = 828,000 residential and business customers | num_members_year = 2015 | area_served = City of Chicago | key_people = Gale E. Klappa, CEO | services = | owner = WEC Energy Group | num_employees = | subsidiaries = {{plainlist| *Peoples Gas *North Shore Gas Company }} | footnotes = | website = {{URL|https://peoplesgasdelivery.com}} }}
'''Peoples Gas''' (short for The '''Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company''') is a gas utility subsidiary of WEC Energy Group serving the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its northern suburbs.
==History== Established in 1849,<ref name="WebHome">{{cite web|title=About Us: Our History|url=https://www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/company/history|accessdate=August 30, 2013|website=Peoples Gas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026215252/https://www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/company/history|archive-date=October 26, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> in Chicago, Illinois, The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company originally made and distributed water gas by forcing steam over hot coke. Peoples Gas grew to become the natural gas delivery supplier to approximately 830,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Chicago. Peoples Gas has approximately 1,500 employees. Services provided to customers and maintenance of approximately 4,300 miles of natural gas main is the primary function of 850 field and support employees, represented by the Gas Workers Union, Local 18007.
In 1931, Chicago was connected with Texas via the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, a 980-mile natural gas pipeline, co-owned by Peoples.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ohiostatepress.org/Books/Complete%20PDFs/Castaneda%20Regulated/03.pdf|title=Regulated Enterprise: Natural Gas Pipelines and Northeastern Markets, 1938–1954|author=Castaneda|isbn=0-8142-0590-9|publisher=The Ohio State University Press|pages=20, 22|date=1993|first=Christopher James}}</ref>
Established in 1900, North Shore Natural Gas grew into the natural gas delivery supplier to approximately 158,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 54 communities in the north-suburban area of Chicago in Lake County. In 1963 Peoples Gas purchased North Shore Gas.<ref name= WebHome/>
In 1980, Peoples Gas changed its name to Peoples Energy Corporation.<ref name= WebHome/>
In February 2007, the Peoples Energy Corporation merged with Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Wisconsin Public Service Corporation to form the Integrys Energy Group.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/business/11energy.html|title=WPS Resources to Buy Peoples Energy for $1.52 Billion|agency=Reuters|date=2006-07-11|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-01-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wps-peoples-energy-merger-receives-approval-from-icc|title=WPS, Peoples Energy merger receives approval from ICC|last=Hunt|first=Katherine|work=MarketWatch|date=7 February 2007 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref> Other Integrys subsidiaries at the time included Peoples Energy Resources Company, LLC, Peoples Energy Services Corporation, Peoples Energy Production Company and Peoples District Energy Corporation, providing services in the oil and gas production, natural gas power generation, midstream services, and retail energy services industries. Integrys also owns and operates regulated and non-regulated energy businesses in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In February 2008, the Illinois Commerce Commission granted a controversial Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas request for a customer delivery rate increase. The approval, settled at $71 million, was expected to increase the average monthly customer gas bill by $7, or 4% to 5%. Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas, citing in part it had not filed for an increase in 12 years, initially sought a $102.5 million delivery rate increase in this proceeding.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 7, 2008 |title=Illinois Utilities Granted Decoupling Over AG Objection |url=https://naturalgasintel.com/news/illinois-utilities-granted-decoupling-over-ag-objection/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723201547/https://www.naturalgasintel.com/news/illinois-utilities-granted-decoupling-over-ag-objection/ |archive-date=July 23, 2025 |work=Natural Gas Intelligence}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boak |first1=Josh |date=2008-02-05 |title=Gas rate battle heats up |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/02/05/gas-rate-battle-heats-up/ |access-date=2026-05-14 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2015, Integrys was acquired by, and became a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group. Peoples Gas continued as a separate operating unit of WEC.<ref name= WebHome/>
== See also == * WEC Energy Group ==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/ Peoples Gas] * [http://www.northshoregasdelivery.com/ North Shore Gas]
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Category:1849 establishments in Illinois Category:Companies based in Chicago Category:American companies established in 1967 Category:Companies disestablished in 2007 Category:Former components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Category:Natural gas companies of the United States