TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Corporation Commission and natural gas companies are working together to find a way to replace aging gas pipes in a less expensive way.

Kansas natural gas companies currently add a fee, called the gas service reliability surcharge, to customers’ bills to cover projects required by safety regulations or related public works projects.

But the Legislature-approved charge doesn’t cover preventative work like replacing old cast iron and steel pipes before they break. Officials say that kind of work is cheaper and causes less disruption than an emergency pipe repair.

Commissioner Pat Apple tells The Topeka Capital-Journal  that amending the GSRS to pay for pipe-replacement work requires legislative approval. But commissioners say they think they can set up a separate process without sending it to the Legislature.