{Bluefield, West Virginia}...Bluefield Gas, which serves about 3,600 customers in the Bluefield area, is seeking a reduction of about 11.6 percent in the rate it charges its customers. The proposed cut would reduce the average residential customer's bill by $9.19 a month. If the Public Service Commission approves the request, the lower rate would become effective November 1st. Vice president John Jessee says natural gas prices have decreased. Blaine Braithwaite with the South Bluefield Neighborhood Association says the company has another pending request to raise the rate it charges for operating costs.
