DEVILS LAKE (AP) - A spokesman for Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., says customers will pay more for natural gas than last season, but it won't be as much as projected earlier this summer.

Spokesman Mark Hanson said earlier projections were for an increase of roughly $350 per customer for the five-month period starting in November. He says the latest projection puts the increase in the $225 to $250 range.

Hanson says natural gas prices have dropped due to a number of factors, including increased production and a lack of hurricane damage to natural gas supplies. He says the weather will be the biggest factor in determining a customer's bill.