Staffers for state utility regulators recommended this week that Nicor’s record-breaking $314 million rate hike request should be slashed by nearly $110 million for the suburban natural gas company.

Consumer advocates welcomed the cuts but urged the Illinois Commerce Commission to tamp down Nicor’s rate increases even further in their final decision expected next month.

Nicor requested the increase earlier this year, a move that would bump up the average monthly residential bill by about $7.50 .

The company says the $314 million hike is necessary for critical infrastructure upgrades to serve its 2 million-plus customers across northern Illinois, including most of Chicago’s suburbs. That’s the cost of “affordable decarbonization that includes both gas and electric solutions,” according t

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