This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

DENVER — The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will take public comment in Denver, Pueblo and Grand Junction over the next several weeks on a proposal by Xcel Energy that would raise natural gas rates by $139 million over the next three years to pay for improvements to its natural gas distribution system.

Public comment hearings will be Oct. 17 at the PUC (1560 Broadway, Suite 250, in Denver); Oct. 23 at the Pueblo West Public Library (298 S. Joe Martinez Blvd.); and Nov. 2 at the Mesa County Central Library (443 N. Sixth St., in Grand Junction).

The public comment hearings will begin at 4 p.m. and continue until no later than 7 p.m.

If approved, the increase would start high, then drop over the next two years, according to the PUC.

The average residential customers could see monthly rates increase by $2.73 in 2018, $2.19 in 2019 and $1.74 in 2020.

The average small commercial customer could see bills increase by $10.91 in 2018, $6.97 in 2019 and $6.95 in 2020.