PIERRE, S.D.(WNAX)- While there have been warnings of a sharp jump in natural gas prices this winter, there appears to be some rounding of that curve.

South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Chairman Chris Nelson says wholesale gas prices are backing off.

Nelson says prices haven’t dropped to last years level yet.

Last February, freezing temperatures in Texas caused a cascading round of power outages and natural gas shortages. Nelson says there have been some changes, but there are still questions.

While the PUC can regulate rates charged by investor-owned gas companies, the raw prices for natural gas are passed through to consumers.