Utility regulator staffer leaving to work as industry lobbyist
Ryan Heater has served as the IURC’s staff chief since 2019, but he’ll soon head to Indiana Electric Cooperatives to be the group’s vice president of government relations.
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Indiana water utility briefly seeks to charge customers for Pacers seats
Indiana American Water quietly backtracked in filings Tuesday after consumer advocates contested the expense.
Duke Energy’s coal-gasification plant goes 3 months without producing power from coal
Duke Energy Corp.’s $3.5 billion Edwardsport plant was costly to build because of its ability to produce gas from coal. But the plant generated all of its electricity from natural gas in April, May and June.
AES Indiana top exec leaving in latest departure from Indy-based utility
Kristina Lund’s departure means that AES Indiana, formerly known as Indianapolis Power & Light Co., will have gone through five presidents in the past eight years, with some of them lasting less than one year.
Consumer advocates seek probe into long AES power outages after storm
State and not-for-profit utility consumer advocates have asked state regulators to investigate the utlity after a recent storm left some customers without power for nearly a week.
EPA rule could force clean-up of toxic coal ash in landfills, power plant ponds
More than a third of coal ash sites are in five states, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, according to data compiled by Earthjustice.
Utilities notch legislative victories in Indiana
New laws are set to let the state’s existing utilities get first dibs on a billion-dollar slate of new transmission projects, put natural gas plant costs into rates before construction ends, and more easily recoup other costs.
EPA proposes first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants
The Biden administration proposed new limits Thursday on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back emissions blamed for climate change.
State letting AES Indiana discharge toxic water into White River, group says
An Indiana environmental group says the utility is pumping more than 1 million gallons of contaminated water a day into the river from coal ash ponds at its Eagle Valley Generating Station in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
Senate panel advances bill allowing utilities to avoid bidding on transmission lines
The controversial bill would give state utilities the right of first refusal to build, own and operate new transmission lines in their service area, avoiding competitive bidding from outside companies.
EPA clamps down on mercury from coal power plants
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the most stringent update on limits to mercury from smokestacks since the Obama administration first issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in 2012.
Holcomb signs controversial utility bill into law
The new law could allow utilities to pass along certain costs to customers for federally mandated projects without having to get pre-approval for those projects from state regulators.
Bill advancing Indiana’s carbon sequestration projects moves forward
Senate Bill 451 is part of a years-long effort to move forward the construction of carbon capture and sequestration projects, while also giving special privileges to an Indiana company that is preparing to undertake the nation’s largest carbon dioxide storage project.
Shortage of cooking oil looms as biofuels gain global appeal
From the U.S. to Brazil and Indonesia, governments are embracing energy made from plants like soybeans or canola, or even animal fat, to move away from fossil fuels and cut emissions.
Lawmakers say Indiana bill to monitor early coal plant closures would ensure reliability
Supporters maintain the bill will keep Indiana from relying too heavily on natural gas. Some energy advocates are more hesitant, however, expressing concern that the measure could slow the state’s transition to cleaner energy sources.
Power plants must cut pollution crossing state lines, under new EPA standards
The new standards, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, are intended to place tighter constraints on air pollution from 23 states, including Indiana.
Three utility-related bills pass the Indiana House
Two of the bills–one establishing utility receiverships and another increasing the cap on pay that trustees on utility boards can earn–received no opposition, passing with a unanimous vote.
Money debate begins in Statehouse over transition to green energy
A bill advancing through the Legislature would add natural gas to the list of clean-energy projects state utility regulators could consider for a financial incentive known as “construction work in progress,” or CWIP for short.
Plunging natural gas prices help relieve inflation pressure
Since the start of 2023, U.S. natural gas prices have fallen 40%, and Europe’s prices are not far behind.
Lawmakers advance bill to let utilities charge consumers earlier for new building projects
Indiana House lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that could encourage more natural gas in the state and allow utilities to charge ratepayers for a plant before it ever goes online.