Two Municipal Gas Utilities Compared

Both Philadelphia and Jacksonville have municipally-owned natural gas utilities. Daniel Gabaldon, co-founder of Enovation Partners encourages Philadelphia to use their gas utility "as a catalyst for an industrial renaissance" rather than sell it.

Philadelphia seems to be focused on using its gas utility, PGW, as a tempting solution to its immediate fiscal challenges, looking for a quick sale. Jacksonville has been much more focused on using its municipal gas utility and harbor as a platform for sustained growth. It has created partnerships with businesses, leveraging its port facility and utility by attracting capital and investments, bringing together labor, capital, customers, and businesses, and positioning Jacksonville to become a market leader on the East Coast in liquefied and compressed natural gas.