"We prepared a very detailed campaign designed to inform our customers about important changes that have been occurring over the last three years in the composition of the gas entering our system," said Nick Rose, Questar Gas president and CEO. "Unfortunately, some very careless reporting and the failure on the part of some reporters to adequately check facts have created a climate of fear."

The company is taking steps to reassure customers that the gas in their homes is perfectly safe for use in all appliances. It's also reminding customers that there is no current emergency or a need to have their appliances checked immediately. The company recommends customers have the inspections and necessary adjustments done as part of a routine, periodic seasonal equipment check some time in the next few years.

Beginning Sept. 9, Questar Gas used newspaper ads, press releases and bill stuffers to inform customers that natural gas entering the company's system from interstate pipelines was changing.

The company urged customers to check their furnaces and water heaters for a green sticker that it began making available to appliance manufacturers, installers and dealers three years ago. The stickers indicated that the equipment was adjusted for proper combustion of current and future supplies. Customers without stickers were advised to have their equipment inspected and, if necessary, adjusted by a licensed heating professional.

The company assured customers that it was currently processing the supplies it received to make them safe to burn in all appliances and would continue to do so for several years to give customers time to have their appliances checked.

The company also warned customers that after this transition period, improperly adjusted appliances could produce excessive carbon monoxide, which under some conditions can cause death. The company plans to issue similar messages several times over the next few years.

On Oct. 6, nearly a month after the campaign started, the Salt Lake Tribune published an article incorrectly reporting that Questar Gas was delivering a "new form of natural gas . . . containing higher levels of carbon dioxide."

An Associated Press story based on the Tribune article was released later that day. The AP story repeated the carbon dioxide error. It caused further confusion by incorrectly reporting that no green sticker meant an appliance "cannot be adjusted to safely burn the new gas." AP never contacted Questar Gas for comment or to verify facts. On Oct. 9, after Questar Gas informed its editors about the error, the AP issued a correction about the significance of the sticker.

On the same day the original AP story was released, two Salt Lake television stations aired news reports based on the erroneous AP story. In two separate reports, one channel used graphics behind a reporter that read "Natural gas hazard" and "Dangerous gas." Both stations mistakenly reported that Questar Gas was "switching" gas supplies.  Neither station contacted Questar Gas for comment or to verify facts.

On Oct. 10, on KUTV2 News, a lead-in to a report by reporter Bill Gephardt incorrectly claimed Questar Gas was telling customers that "your furnace and water heater will be soon be obsolete, unless you pay $200 for an upgrade."

Company literature clearly states that changing gas composition does not require the replacement of any appliances.

Later in his report, Gephardt erroneously concludes that Questar Gas is responsible for the change in gas composition and is providing "lousy" gas.

In fact, the supplies coming to Questar Gas's system (and which it is processing during this transition phase to make it safe for all appliances) meet all federal and local safety standards and contain the same Btu content as natural gas used by customers around the nation for decades.

Repeated attempts by company representatives to remind Gephardt of these facts were ignored and disregarded.

Alarmed by these news reports, many customers have contacted the company by phone, email and in person upset and concerned for their safety. Some critics have blamed the company's Green Sticker ads for creating unnecessary anxiety.

"The fact is, the campaign was succeeding as intended until the distorted news reports appeared," Rose said. "Our ads ran in newspapers throughout the state almost a month ago. Our customers didn't become panicked until last weekend when these inaccurate and needlessly inflammatory news reports started to appear.

"For 70 years, our customers have counted on us to deliver natural gas to their homes safely, reliably and at the lowest possible price. We do not take that obligation lightly. Our Green Sticker campaign is a responsible and measured effort to provide our customers with information they need to make informed consumer decisions regarding the efficient operation of their appliances. Unfortunately, some recent examples of  reporting have thwarted these efforts and indicate a desire on some in the local media to inflame rather than inform."

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