End of the road for PGW bidder UIL?

BARRING ANY scheduling changes on City Council's calendar, it appears that time is running out for the mayor's chosen buyer of Philadelphia Gas Works.

Yesterday was the last day for any member of Council to introduce legislation on the sale of PGW for it to pass before the year's end, but the session came and went with no lawmaker willing to do it. With only two weekly Council meetings left before 2015, that means there likely won't be time to hold hearings or call a vote on the deal, which expires Dec. 31.

Immediately following the Council meeting, a spokesman for UIL Holdings Corp. said the company had no intention of seeking an extension of its agreement with Mayor Nutter.

Michael West, a UIL spokesman, said the company has heard from "a number of stakeholders in the city" who wanted more public discussion on the sale.

Asked if the deal is dead, West said, "If there is some opportunity, we certainly want to make sure that we explore it all, but there is a realization that we have a contract that is about to expire."

Still, Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald emphasized that Council still could schedule additional hearings on the issue.

"It's not over," McDonald said.

"I think there is still time to get this very important public-policy matter resolved . . . a huge public-policy matter like this - that will impact the future development of energy-related industries in the city, that will improve the safety of the thousands of miles of pipe under our streets, that will strengthen dramatically the city's pension fund - this kind of proposal needs to be tested in a public and transparent way."

West told the Daily News that UIL has seen "some surprising things" from Council, such as its members refusing to introduce a bill to hold hearings on the deal. He called it "premature" to rule out other options at a "critical path to success," but said that for now, extending the sale contract beyond Dec. 31 is not an option.

Council President Darrell Clarke yesterday reiterated his support for an alternative to an outright sale of PGW. Clarke said he favors a public-private-partnership-type proposal, an idea that stemmed from two days of hearings last week on how Philadelphia could move forward as a major energy hub.

"I've indicated to both the administration and UIL that that was something that had a lot of traction with this body," he said.

- Staff writer Chris Brennan contributed to this report.