NIPSCO to spend $5B for power-system upgrades
The Merrillville-based utility said it plans to spend $5 billion in the next 10 years on electrical system improvements, including almost $1 billion on environmental upgrades at its coal-fired plants.
Energy & Environment
Articles
SEC filing: Ex-IPL chief Murtlow qualified for large payout
Indianapolis Power & Light chief Ann Murtlow left the utility this spring under terms of a separation agreement that would have entitled her to at least $404,410, according to documents the utility filed Nov. 3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Cost of Thanksgiving meal jumps 13 percent on food inflation
The cost of a Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. will jump 13 percent this year, the biggest gain in two decades, as prices rose for everything from turkey to green peas to milk, the American Farm Bureau Federation said.
Farm-profit volatility boosting risk for lenders, economist says
U.S. farmers face increased financial risk because of higher operating costs and volatile commodity prices, even as income this year reaches a record, said Michael Boehlje, an economist at Purdue University.
Indiana littered with 2,100 leaking underground tanks
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is tracking about 2,100 sites with leaking tanks, many of which contain gasoline and diesel fuel that can damage soil and contaminate groundwater.
Congress moves to create new farm subsidy
Farm-state lawmakers are moving to create a whole new subsidy that would protect farmers when their revenue drops — an unprecedented program that critics say could pay billions of dollars to farmers now enjoying record-high crop prices.
Indiana plant a drag on Duke Energy earnings
Duke Energy Corp.'s third-quarter earnings tumbled 30 percent, the company said Thursday, with energy consumption falling at the same time that costs rose unexpectedly for a new plant in Indiana.
Ener1 becomes latest energy aid recipient in trouble
Electric-car battery maker Ener1 Inc., whose shares were delisted from the NASDAQ stock market Oct. 28, is the latest recipient of U.S. Energy Department aid to run into financial trouble and draw congressional scrutiny.
Johnson County waste district swamped with used electronics
An Indiana law designed to keep hazardous chemicals out of landfills is causing an overflow of unwanted electronics at a central Indiana waste district's offices.
Speedway hosts meetings about potential for electric car racing series
The three-day conference looked at such things as design plans and technical infrastructure for electric racing vehicles, and preliminary business plans for such a series.
Indiana environmentalists wary of oil pipeline plan
The oil industry says a new oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast might create jobs for Indiana residents if the Obama administration approves its construction.
Farmers brace for spike in crop input costs
A Purdue ag economist says preliminary budgets show variable costs for rotation corn increasing by 16 percent, soybeans by 15 percent and wheat by 12 percent when compared with last January.
Ethics scandal costs Duke Energy in two rulings
A 2010 ethics scandal involving the former chief legal counsel for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has come back to bite the state’s biggest electric utility.
Indianapolis neighborhood striving for LEED status
Designation to east-side project would go beyond building certification.
Zeroing in on net-zero energy in Indianapolis
The Holy Grail of energy efficiency has yet to arrive, but pieces are falling into place.
EnerDel parent facing shareholder legal battle
At least three lawsuits accuse Ener1, the parent of Indianapolis-based advanced-battery maker EnerDel, of misleading investors about its financial condition.
Purdue expert sees more profits for hog farmers
Pork production for the coming year is expected to rise 2 percent to 3 percent, led by higher sow productivity and market weights and lower feed prices.
Green roofs slow to take root in Indianapolis
Indianapolis’ movement toward installing green roofs on commercial buildings has advanced slowly but steadily, in spite of a poor economy and the availability of cheaper (at least in the short run) alternatives.
Solar flop puts energy funding in limbo
Companies promising thousands of green jobs in Indiana are playing a high-stakes waiting game as federal officials consider the fate of at least $600 million in loan guarantees.
Gas utilities expect heating bills similar to last year
Citizens Gas says that if winter temperatures are normal, Marion County customers will pay just a few dollars more on their heating bills this winter, compared to last year.