Latest news with #IURC
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Developers abandon Lone Oak solar project
ANDERSON — The planned Lone Oak solar facility in northern Madison County has been abandoned by the developer. Invenergy has withdrawn its appeal in Grant County for a judicial review of the Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals decision not to grant an extension for the start of construction. Jeff Graham, attorney for Madison County, said Tuesday that the withdrawal of the appeal means the project will not move forward. In March, the Indiana Supreme Court denied a request by the developers of the facility to consider a decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals denied the request of the developers to overturn a decision by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to assume jurisdiction in a complaint filed by Invenergy, affirming a decision in April not to take jurisdiction. The company obtained a special use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals in 2019 with construction to have been completed by Dec. 31, 2023. Previously, Invenergy asked and the IURC agreed not to exercise jurisdiction over the project. In a 2024 complaint, Invenergy maintained that it was unreasonable for the Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals to require that the Lone Oak facility be operational by Dec. 31, 2023. The company wanted the IURC to rule that the county's decision not to grant a two-year extension was unreasonable and that the county's 2017 solar ordinance should be voided. If that action was not approved, the company wanted the state commission to provide an additional three years to complete the project. The original request for the IURC to assume jurisdiction asked that one of two steps be taken to allow for future construction of the $110 million project that would produce 120 megawatts of electricity on 800 acres. The company was asking the IURC to rule that the county's solar ordinance is unreasonable or void. In its decision, the IURC noted that Invenergy had requested a judicial review of the BZA decision and that the review was pending in Grant County. Invenergy maintains that it couldn't begin work on the Lone Oak facility for several reasons, including a pending lawsuit by remonstrators that hindered financing, the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply-chain issues. At a 2023 hearing, Michael Hill, an attorney for Invenergy, said that if the IURC declined to exercise jurisdiction, the ordinance and BZA denial of the extension would 'effectively kill' the facility.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
IURC Chariman Jim Huston announces plans to retire in early 2026
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Chairman Jim Huston said he plans to retire by January 2026. (Photo courtesy IURC) Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) Chairman Jim Huston announced his retirement Friday and said he plans to step down in January 2026 after more than a decade with the agency. Although Huston's second term officially ended April 1, he has remained in the role temporarily — and will continue to do so until a successor is appointed. He was originally named to the commission by Gov. Mike Pence in 2014 and reappointed as chairman by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2018. The IURC Nominating Committee is now seeking Huston's replacement, the commission said in a news release. 'It is with a grateful heart that I announce my intent to retire,' Huston said in a written statement. 'It is a blessing to work alongside our incredibly talented professional staff every day, and I am proud of the work we accomplish on behalf of Hoosier families.' CONTACT US The powerful five-member commission oversees more than 600 electric, natural gas, steam, water and wastewater utilities operating in Indiana, according to its website. It regulates rates, financing, bonding, environmental compliance plans and service territories, with final say over changes to the utility bills millions of Hoosiers pay. During his tenure, Huston worked to streamline agency processes and reinstituted semi-annual 'Reliability Forums,' where utility stakeholders assess seasonal preparedness for energy demand. In 2024, he testified before the U.S. Congress on state-level challenges facing electric service reliability. Huston currently serves as co-chair of the Federal-State Issues Collaborative, and holds roles with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and GTI Energy. 'I want to thank Chairman Jim Huston for his service with the IURC over the past decade. He is a lifelong public servant and is leaving the agency in much better shape than when he arrived,' Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement. 'I wish Chairman Huston the best in retirement.' Prior to his IURC appointment, Huston served as chief of staff at the Indiana State Department of Health. During Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration, he separately served as executive director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The office has since been absorbed by Indiana's Department of Workforce Development as the agency's 'Serve Indiana' division. Huston also worked for four members of Congress and former Gov. Robert Orr. He has twice received the Sagamore of the Wabash, one of Indiana's highest honors. Huston said he looks looks forward to 'the next chapter' of his life, which will include 'spending a little more time' with his family and grandchildren. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to boost energy generation — and nuclear manufacturing — advances to Indiana governor
A House Republican bill that seeks to increase energy generation in Indiana is now headed to Gov. Mike Braun for final approval. (Getty Images) House Republicans gave the final go-ahead Tuesday to a caucus priority bill that seeks to incentivize new power generation in Indiana. A 63-23 party-line vote on House Bill 1007 set the measure on course for Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The bill will expedite approval processes for large-load customers like data centers and create cost recovery mechanisms for projects utilities take on to serve those big customers. It will also require a big prospective grid addition to make 'significant and meaningful financial assurances' for such projects — reimbursing at least 80% of costs and protecting other existing and future customers from the expenses. The bill, authored by Rep. Ed Soliday, Valparaiso, additionally gets tough with utilities planning to close — or convert to natural gas — any coal-fired plants of at least 125 megawatts. Current law mandates utilities that are not generating at least 85% of peak demand to report three-year projections to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). House, Senate push along bills to attract nuclear developments to Indiana Utilities will instead be required to annually report the amount of resource generating capacity they plan to take offline. If, after an investigation, the IURC doesn't think a utility can provide reliable service, it would have to block the utility's plan or order it to either acquire or build capacity. 'We're in competition with other states,' Soliday said. 'We will not be the biggest incentive-offering state. (The bill) will put us in second. We won't get a dime if they don't come here, but if we are able to incentivize them to come here, we get 80% of something, not 100% of nothing.' After strong pushback, senators removed more contentious provisions that intended to specifically boost small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) development — including a 20% sales tax credit for utilities. That tax credit remains in the bill, however, for Hoosier manufacturers that produce SMR technology which could later be used by utilities in Indiana or elsewhere across the globe. Democratic Rep. Matt Pierce, of Bloomington, said Tuesday he has concerns about the remaining tax credit, which could cost taxpayers an estimated $280 million, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. He worried, too, that the overall bill will 'force more expensive, obsolete coal plants to remain online for a longer period of time' — given that SMR development has largely been proposed on existing coal plant sites. 'Imagine what we could do with $280 million when it comes to providing people with health care, childcare, other essential services that people may rely upon the state,' Pierce said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite negative opinions, Anderson going forward with water rate plans
ANDERSON — Although the Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor has issued multiple opinions concerning Anderson's water rate case, city officials intend to move forward with their plans. In three different opinions, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor questioned the validity of the city's plans for the water department. One opinion recommended the requested rate increase be reduced from 121% over five years to 75%. The last water rate increase was approved by the state in 2015. If approved, the rate for an average residential customer is expected to increase from $23.51 to $55.25 starting in 2029. Large customers of the water utility will see an increase from $117,772 monthly to $434,171 starting in 2029. A second opinion stated that Anderson didn't need to build a new treatment plant and well field in south Anderson, noting that the current system loses 20% of the water. The third opinion stated that instead of a $130 million project, the city's funding request for the projects should be $102 million. Last year, the Anderson City Council approved $130 million in bonds over the next three years. The council has already approved $9 million in American Rescue Plan funds, and the Anderson Redevelopment Commission is providing $19 million toward the project. All the work is scheduled to be completed by September 2029, with work on the initial phase starting in later this year. Anderson officials have responded to the opinions and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has a hearing set for May 8. 'There is a legal process for acquiring approval from the IURC,' Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. said. 'This includes a built-in mechanism for another bureaucratic agency, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, that acts, for the lack of a better description, as the 'loyal opposition' to petitions.' Broderick said the IURC is not bound to accept the opinions or positions of the consumer counselor. 'This is a process,' he said. 'These are opinions from people who don't know much about Anderson. 'They are dead wrong about the plant on the south side,' Broderick said. 'We're committed to move forward.' Broderick said the existing Wheeler Avenue plant is 75 years old and that the wells supplying water to the plant are in a federal 'super fund' site and production has dropped by 50%. 'We have already made a lot of internal hard choices,' he said. 'We want to be fair to the rate payers.' Broderick said shutting down the Wheeler Avenue plant will take care of many problems. 'You can't replace 400 miles of pipes overnight,' he said. 'Many of them have been in place for over 100 years.' Broderick said the city is in the process of expanding the Lafayette water treatment plant to handle 14 million gallons of water per day, and additional property has been purchased for new wells to supply the plant. 'We all know the growth is coming up Interstate 69 and more people and businesses will be coming to Anderson,' he said. 'We want to meet those requirements. It's important to me that we don't do anything that keeps people from coming to Anderson.' Broderick said the city has contracted to purchase property for new well fields and a treatment plant in south Anderson.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House, Senate push along bills to attract nuclear developments to Indiana
Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, addresses the House chamber on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Multiple Republican energy bills dealing with incentives for nuclear power inched closer to the governor's desk Tuesday following key votes in both the House and Senate. That included House Bill 1007, a priority measure that would expedite approval processes for large-load customers like data centers and create cost recovery mechanisms for projects utilities take on to serve those big customers. It also would require a big prospective grid addition to make 'significant and meaningful financial assurances' for such projects — reimbursing at least 80% of costs and protecting other existing and future customers from the expenses. The bill additionally gets tough with utilities planning to close — or convert to natural gas — any coal-fired plants of at least 125 megawatts. Current law mandates utilities that are not generating at least 85% of peak demand to report three-year projections to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). The legislation would instead require all utilities to annually report the amount of resource generating capacity they plan to take offline. If, after an investigation, the IURC doesn't think a utility can provide reliable service, it would have to block the utility's plan or order it to either acquire or build capacity. 'This bill is about three things: high-wage advanced manufacturing jobs, protecting consumers from rate shifts from large-scale loads, and protecting consumers from rate increases through premature plant closures,' said bill sponsor Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford. 'Those are three worthy goals.' The bill advanced from the Senate in a 36-13 vote, with some bipartisan opposition. All but one Democrat — Sen. David Niezgodski, a co-sponsor — voted against the proposal, along with four Republicans: Sens. Ron Alting, Vaneta Becker, Aaron Freeman and Mike Young. After strong pushback, senators removed more contentious provisions that intended to boost small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) development — including a 20% sales tax credit for SMR manufacturers. But Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford, of Indianapolis, said he still had 'serious concerns' about pieces left in the bill that could boost 'a risky, unproven technology,' referring to SMRs. 'My constituents … they don't support this,' he said. 'They don't want to be the test case for nuclear experiments that have failed in other states.' House Bill 1007 missed the opportunity to put important consumer protections in place. – Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, expressed additional concerns 'about the message being sent to ratepayers and the entire state.' 'House Bill 1007 missed the opportunity to put important consumer protections in place,' she said. 'We know that our utilities already operate as state-sanctioned monopolies, and we have to make sure that we are empowering the IURC, but also empowering ourselves and our ratepayers, to truly, truly get a handle on the increasing rates, and make sure that we're not politicizing that in any way.' Shortly after the Senate voted to return the bill to the House for final approval, Robyn Skuya-Boss, director for the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, reiterated the advocacy group's concerns over what she called an 'Energy Inflation Act.' She emphasized that legislative action came just days after Gov. Mike Braun signed coal-related executive orders similar to those endorsed by President Donald Trump. 'Hoosiers should be alarmed that we're witnessing a massive transfer of wealth from hard-working families to financially healthy utilities and tech companies in the form of higher utility bills along with increased air and water pollution,' Skuya-Boss said in a statement. 'Renewable energy adds a tremendous amount of value to the grid, and it's disheartening that lawmakers, utilities, and tech companies are actively standing in the way of progress for Indiana's economy and our environment.' Across the hall, lawmakers in the House made progress on two other bills, overcoming hesitation from some members of the supermajority. The first, Senate Bill 423, forms a small modular nuclear reactor 'pilot' program intended to attract interested developers to bring nuclear to Indiana. Bill sponsor Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valpraiso, made clear though that the legislation blocks program participants from charging ratepayers for no-cost contributions by third parties. Opposition brings likely end to Indiana utility siting bill, but the issue isn't going away 'Already, partnerships are being formed. …. What this bill does is place restrictions on those partnerships that currently do not exist,' he said. 'It's important that we have some control over these partnerships.' Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said he while 'appreciate(d)' the bill's intent to require tech companies to 'pick up some of these costs for SMRs, it still has a fatal flaw.' 'At the end of the day, if the project doesn't pan out, which I think is maybe more likely than not … the ratepayers are going to be on the hook for some of those costs, which is going to be substantial,' Pierce said. The bill ultimately passed in a mixed 67-29 vote, sending it back to the Senate chamber. Also returning to the opposing chamber one last time — in a similarly divided 59-38 tally — is Senate Bill 425, which addresses transitions of coal-fired plants to natural gas or SMR sites. Soliday said the bill seeks to ensure that locals don't drag out rezoning processes needed for those transitions to move forward. Provisions in the legislation set timelines for both utilities and local zoning authorities to prevent yearslong 'back and forth delays' that defer decisions. 'In some counties, not all, instead of making a decision, they keep deferring,' Soliday said, pointing to moratoriums, for example, that 'keep investors' money tied up, and they can't move forward with a project.' The bill limits such moratoriums to just one year, then local governments 'have to decide.' CONTACT US 'A 'no' is OK,' Soliday continued, 'but do it in a timely way so the developers can move on.' Pierce had reservations about this measure, too. 'What this bill is basically saying is if someone comes into your community and they want to put a small modular reactor into a generation facility that exists, your local communities have nothing they can say about that,' he said. 'I think it's a mistake what we're doing,' Pierce added. 'We're essentially saying that we value efficiency and speed more than we value public input, because under the current system, you kind of have this back and forth with advisory planning commissions … and that does take some time, but it gives people who are interested in that zoning issue an opportunity to be involved.' Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, maintained that the bill still allows 'an opportunity to go back and forth with the planning commission.' 'The ultimate decision-makers are the county commissioners, the legislative body,' Culp held. 'What a lot of these communities are doing is they're using this as a stall tactic. … We're trying to tighten up this loophole a little bit. Local units will still have a whole year to make a decision, and they can still say no, but they can't delay decisions. … because this drives down development, currently.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
