Coal-gasification plant price tag climbs to $2.5 billion
Duke Energy Corp. said the cost of the plant it’s building in southwestern Indiana has risen another $150 million.
Regulation
Articles
Unions prod Obama to fix ailing airline industry
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is holding a forum Thursday to discuss the state of the airline industry, which is
mired in a severe economic slump and blamed for using a business model critics say undermines safety.
IURC conducts review of Centennial’s telecom service
Every neighborhood has its battles, but the 1,017-resident Centennial subdivision in Westfield is embroiled in one of the
most unusual: a very public fight over the adequacy of its phone, Internet and video service.
Related-party loans pile up at Durham-owned finance firm
Indianapolis businessman Tim Durham has treated Ohio-based Fair Finance Co. almost like a personal bank since buying it seven
years ago, and now he, his partners and related firms owe it more than $168 million, records show.
Consultant: Indianapolis water utility lax in overseeing Veolia
The city too often relied on the Department of Waterworks’ board, on consultants and on the private
operator, Veolia Water, rather than on the department’s own staff “to ensure safe and efficient
operation, maintenance and management” of Indianapolis Water. That’s one of several critical
findings of a consultant hired by the department and filed as part of a 35-percent rate-hike request
pending before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
Local junkyard gets green recognition from state
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says an Indianapolis junkyard is the first in the state to receive its recognition for environmentally friendly practices.
More accurate count sought on Indiana billboards
The Indiana Department of Transportation is trying to get a better handle on exactly how many billboards sit along the state’s
highways after a federal agency found problems in Indiana and threatened to withhold $90 million.
American Water wants to raise rates
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor is seeking public input on a proposed rate hike by American Water Inc.,
which has 283,000 customers in the state, including in Noblesville and Greenwood.
Indiana governor expresses green-energy doubts
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told a conference of industrial energy customers that the pursuit of green jobs and alternative fuels could increase energy costs without improving the environment.<
Waterworks proposes 35-percent rate hike
The Indianapolis Department of Waterworks today unveiled a capital-improvements proposal that would raise water rates for
the average residential customer by 35 percent, or $8 a month.
Indiana panel OKs tougher golf course pesticide rule
A state panel has approved a new rule requiring workers who apply pesticides at Indiana’s golf courses to be certified
and licensed.
Water utility wants millions for treatment-plant upgrade, dam repair
Already swamped with higher debt costs due to a bond refinancing fiasco, the city’s Department of Waterworks is asking
the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to OK a rate hike to pay for capital projects.
Anderson firm aims to clean up diesel emissions
Engineer Refaat "Ray" Kammel’s Anderson engineering firm has received a $2-million grant from the Indiana Department of Economic Development to start manufacturing a patented device that will help old trucks meet new federal emission standards.
Nucor Steel struggling to strike new power deal with Duke Energy
After two years of fruitless negotiations, the Crawfordsville steel mill has asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
to intervene. More than 700 jobs depend on Nucor and Duke striking a deal.
Local panel to discuss climate bill’s possible business impact
A panel of energy and legal experts will gather tomorrow evening to discuss what the climate change bill now before Congress
could mean for Indiana businesses.
EPA proposes $1.1M settlement with Vertellus
Chemical-maker Vertellus Specialties Inc. will spend up to $1.1 million and change air-emission monitoring practices at its
plant on the southwest side of Indianapolis under a proposed settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Veolia appeals regulators’ rate-hike decision
Veolia Water Indianapolis, which manages the city’s water utility, has appealed an order issued by state utility regulators
that limited a major rate increase sought by the city.
Utilities favor federal carbon dioxide permit-trading plan
Resigned to inevitable government curbs on their carbon dioxide emissions, about
all Indiana utilities could do was say which poison they’d prefer to swallow. They’re closer to
getting their favorite poison, with the U.S. House passage June 26 of a bill that would create a market
for trading carbon dioxide permits.
Judge slams law firm Bose over ‘misrepresentations’ in Red Spot case
Bose McKinney & Evans’ defense of an Evansville company in a high-stakes environmental-contamination lawsuit has degenerated
into a fiasco, with a federal judge sanctioning both the client Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co. and law firm and ordering
each to pay half the plaintiff’s
legal bills.
A cap on cap and trade?
On May 15, the Wall Street Journal published a letter from Gov. Mitch Daniels laying out his sharp opposition to the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would set limits on carbon emissions to combat global warming.