Latest news with #NIPSCO
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Hoosiers hit with historically high electric bill increases, consumer watchdog study shows
Hoosiers are paying historically high energy rates from Indiana's investor-owned utilities, according to a new analysis by a consumer watchdog group. Citizens Action Coalition collected and analyzed 20 years of data from five of the state's monopoly utilities — NIPSCO, CenterPoint, Duke Energy Indiana, AES Indiana and I&M — and found residents were hit this year with the highest year-over-year price increase since at least 2005. The group's key findings show a statewide average energy bill increase of more than $28 per month — a 17.5% jump. The Indiana Energy Association, in a written statement in response to the CAC report, said its members "are committed to keeping affordability top of mind, while also making the investments needed to provide reliable electricity." Kerwin Olson, executive director of CAC, said for years Indiana lawmakers have passed utility-friendly legislation shifting economic risk and cost on to Hoosiers already facing rising costs for housing, healthcare and other bills. 'This is an ongoing trend of continuing to use rate payers as economic development tools while inappropriately shifting all of the investment risk of running the utility away from utilities themselves and their investors onto shareholders,' Olson said. 'And that comes at a cost, and that cost is starting to display itself as extraordinary rate increases.' The continued increase in utility bills is exacerbating an affordability crisis, he said, and Indiana is the epitome of regulatory and legislative control by investor-owned utilities that dictate policy and regulatory outcomes. The state, Olson said, needs to get serious about looking at policy solutions that invite competition and provide customers with a choice rather than allowing monopoly pricing. "Let's get serious about making sure the everyday working class Hoosier can live their life with some dignity and afford the daily cost of living," he said. CAC's analysis of data from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission shows large year-over-year bill increases for Hoosier's residential energy bills between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. The Indiana Energy Association noted "Indiana has been growing, and Indiana's utilities have an obligation to keep pace with that demand and power a modern economy." The association wrote that Indiana's energy companies invested in additional power generation and modernization of the electric grid that delivers that power. "We've added advanced technology to the electric grid that reduces power outages and hardens the grid against severe weather. There also have been substantial investments in evolving environmental regulations," the statement says. NIPSCO customers, the ratepayers already paying the most, saw the largest increase of $50, or 26.7%, per month, according to CAC. NIPSCO spokeswoman Tara McElmurry told IndyStar the company is aligned with IEA's statement and has nothing further to add. CenterPoint customers saw a $44 per month increase, or 25%, over the last year following an IURC-approved rate increase. CenterPoint did not immediately respond to IndyStar's request for comment. Duke Energy Indiana customers saw a $26 increase on their monthly bills. Angeline Protogere, spokeswoman for Duke Indiana, wrote in an email to IndyStar that Duke has the lowest average rate among major utilities in Indiana for residential users, and that the year-over-year survey includes base rates as well as fuel and purchased power costs, which fluctuate quarterly. New rates allow Duke to continue making investments in a variety of ways including outage resilience, increasing reliability and transmission infrastructure among other things. "We have invested $1.6 billion in our electric grid, power plants and overall system on behalf of our customers, and that is reflected in a base rate increase that went into effect in February 2025," Protogere wrote. AES Indiana residential customers paid about $17 more each month, and the utility recently filed for another rate increase. AES did not comment but instead referred IndyStar to the IEA statement. I&M customers saw bills rise $6 a month. I&M did not immediately respond to IndyStar. Gov. Mike Braun ran his gubernatorial campaign, in part, by promising lower energy costs for Hoosiers, and state lawmakers referenced affordability during legislative session this year. These promises have yet to come to fruition, and Olson said lawmakers continue to compound the issue of energy bills running rampant with laws such as Senate bills 424 and 423 which shifted even more costs onto Hoosiers. He also pointed out Braun's new Strategic Energy Growth Task Force, meant to address affordability, lacks any consumer advocates. 'It's hard to believe we're serious about affordability when a task force like that lacks a consumer voice,' Olson said. 'And then we see numbers like these: rate increase after rate increase after rate increase with no end in sight and with no apparent desire from the state to seriously take a look at why and try to fix the problem.' Olson and CAC are not opposed to economic development and growth, but he said the risks need to appropriately be shared and something needs to change. 'All we want to do in Indiana is build, build, build in the name of energy dominance, and rate payers be damned,' he said. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. IndyStar environment and natural resources reporter Sophie Hartley contributed to this report.
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Hoosiers hit with historically high electric bill increases, consumer watchdog study shows
Hoosiers are paying historically high energy rates from Indiana's investor-owned utilities, according to a new analysis by a consumer watchdog group. Citizens Action Coalition collected and analyzed 20 years of data from five of the state's monopoly utilities — NIPSCO, CenterPoint, Duke Energy Indiana, AES Indiana and I&M — and found residents were hit this year with the highest year-over-year price increase since at least 2005. The group's key findings show a statewide average energy bill increase of more than $28 per month — a 17.5% jump. The Indiana Energy Association, in a written statement in response to the CAC report, said its members "are committed to keeping affordability top of mind, while also making the investments needed to provide reliable electricity." Kerwin Olson, executive director of CAC, said for years Indiana lawmakers have passed utility-friendly legislation shifting economic risk and cost on to Hoosiers already facing rising costs for housing, healthcare and other bills. 'This is an ongoing trend of continuing to use rate payers as economic development tools while inappropriately shifting all of the investment risk of running the utility away from utilities themselves and their investors onto shareholders,' Olson said. 'And that comes at a cost, and that cost is starting to display itself as extraordinary rate increases.' The continued increase in utility bills is exacerbating an affordability crisis, he said, and Indiana is the epitome of regulatory and legislative control by investor-owned utilities that dictate policy and regulatory outcomes. The state, Olson said, needs to get serious about looking at policy solutions that invite competition and provide customers with a choice rather than allowing monopoly pricing. "Let's get serious about making sure the everyday working class Hoosier can live their life with some dignity and afford the daily cost of living," he said. CAC's analysis of data from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission shows large year-over-year bill increases for Hoosier's residential energy bills between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. The Indiana Energy Association noted "Indiana has been growing, and Indiana's utilities have an obligation to keep pace with that demand and power a modern economy." The association wrote that Indiana's energy companies invested in additional power generation and modernization of the electric grid that delivers that power. "We've added advanced technology to the electric grid that reduces power outages and hardens the grid against severe weather. There also have been substantial investments in evolving environmental regulations," the statement says. NIPSCO customers, the ratepayers already paying the most, saw the largest increase of $50, or 26.7%, per month, according to CAC. NIPSCO spokeswoman Tara McElmurry told IndyStar the company is aligned with IEA's statement and has nothing further to add. CenterPoint customers saw a $44 per month increase, or 25%, over the last year following an IURC-approved rate increase. CenterPoint did not immediately respond to IndyStar's request for comment. Duke Energy Indiana customers saw a $26 increase on their monthly bills. Angeline Protogere, spokeswoman for Duke Indiana, wrote in an email to IndyStar that Duke has the lowest average rate among major utilities in Indiana for residential users, and that the year-over-year survey includes base rates as well as fuel and purchased power costs, which fluctuate quarterly. New rates allow Duke to continue making investments in a variety of ways including outage resilience, increasing reliability and transmission infrastructure among other things. "We have invested $1.6 billion in our electric grid, power plants and overall system on behalf of our customers, and that is reflected in a base rate increase that went into effect in February 2025," Protogere wrote. AES Indiana residential customers paid about $17 more each month, and the utility recently filed for another rate increase. AES did not comment but instead referred IndyStar to the IEA statement. I&M customers saw bills rise $6 a month. I&M did not immediately respond to IndyStar. Gov. Mike Braun ran his gubernatorial campaign, in part, by promising lower energy costs for Hoosiers, and state lawmakers referenced affordability during legislative session this year. These promises have yet to come to fruition, and Olson said lawmakers continue to compound the issue of energy bills running rampant with laws such as Senate bills 424 and 423 which shifted even more costs onto Hoosiers. He also pointed out Braun's new Strategic Energy Growth Task Force, meant to address affordability, lacks any consumer advocates. 'It's hard to believe we're serious about affordability when a task force like that lacks a consumer voice,' Olson said. 'And then we see numbers like these: rate increase after rate increase after rate increase with no end in sight and with no apparent desire from the state to seriously take a look at why and try to fix the problem.' Olson and CAC are not opposed to economic development and growth, but he said the risks need to appropriately be shared and something needs to change. 'All we want to do in Indiana is build, build, build in the name of energy dominance, and rate payers be damned,' he said. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. IndyStar environment and natural resources reporter Sophie Hartley contributed to this report.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NiSource to Release Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Host Conference Call on August 6
MERRILLVILLE, Ind., July 23, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) today announced that the company will release its second quarter 2025 financial results on Aug. 6 before U.S. financial markets open and will host a conference call that day at 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CT) to review the second quarter 2025 financial results and provide a general business update. All interested parties may listen to the conference call live on Aug. 6 by logging onto the NiSource website at A link on the home page will provide access to the webcast and news release. A replay of the call will be available beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 13, 2025. To access the recording, call +1 (800) 770-2030 and enter conference ID 5571489 followed by the # key. A recording of the call will be archived on the NiSource website. About NiSource NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.3 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. The mission of our approximately 7,700 employees is to deliver safe, reliable energy that drives value to our customers. NiSource is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability - North America Index and is on Forbes' lists of America's Best Employers for Women and Diversity. Learn more about NiSource's record of leadership in sustainability, investments in the communities it serves and how we live our vision to be an innovative and trusted energy partner at NI-F View source version on Contacts Media Kristen KingFinance Communications(380) 268-3023kking@ Investors Durgesh ChopraInvestor Relations(484) 542-1915investors@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
NiSource to Release Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Host Conference Call on August 6
NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) today announced that the company will release its second quarter 2025 financial results on Aug. 6 before U.S. financial markets open and will host a conference call that day at 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CT) to review the second quarter 2025 financial results and provide a general business update. All interested parties may listen to the conference call live on Aug. 6 by logging onto the NiSource website at A link on the home page will provide access to the webcast and news release. A replay of the call will be available beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 13, 2025. To access the recording, call +1 (800) 770-2030 and enter conference ID 5571489 followed by the # key. A recording of the call will be archived on the NiSource website. About NiSource NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) is one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.3 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. The mission of our approximately 7,700 employees is to deliver safe, reliable energy that drives value to our customers. NiSource is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability - North America Index and is on Forbes' lists of America's Best Employers for Women and Diversity. Learn more about NiSource's record of leadership in sustainability, investments in the communities it serves and how we live our vision to be an innovative and trusted energy partner at
Chicago Tribune
22-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Court briefs: Man charged in hit-and-run and serial burglar faces sentencing
A Calumet City man is charged with a Hammond hit-and-run. Daquan Howard, 25, was charged July 10 with aggravated battery, battery by means of a deadly weapon, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, criminal recklessness, leaving the scene of an accident with moderate for serious bodily injury, and misdemeanor domestic battery. He has not been apprehended. When arrested, he is ordered held on a $6,000 cash bond. A woman told police Howard, her ex-boyfriend, showed up in a red Mazda as she and her new boyfriend were walking near State Line Avenue and Webb Street. Howard hit her three times in the back of the head after they argued, she said. When the couple tried to walk away, Howard hit them with his car, then took off, an affidavit alleges. Anyone with information can contact Hammond Police at 219-853-6490. An alleged serial burglar faces up to four years in prison after signing a plea deal. Christian Felkamp, 24, of Gary, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of burglary. He admitted breaking into Robert Henry Corporation's property on Jan. 25 in the 2100 block of Southlake Mall in Hobart and stealing a trailer with four spools of NIPSCO wire. In a separate incident, he admitted to sawing through the roof of Fantasy Gentleman's Club, 3850 179th Street in Hammond on Nov. 22 to try stealing cash from the ATM. As part of the deal, he has to repay nearly $7,000 to the Robert Henry Corporation, $2,300 to the strip club, $1,000 to Midwest PGM Recycling, and more than $28,000 to NIPSCO. In exchange, Lake County prosecutors agreed to dismiss several other theft charges. His sentencing is scheduled Wednesday. Felkamp has four other pending burglary and auto theft cases in Porter County. A Munster woman faces up to 12 years in a plea deal in connection with her boyfriend's death. Marysa Roriguez, 22, pleaded guilty July 7 to burglary. Authorities allege her boyfriend Alijah Adams broke into a Hammond apartment on June 1, 2024 around 2:30 a.m. to the 600 block of 169th Street. The man living there allegedly shot Adams dead after Adams beat him. He has not been charged. Rodriguez admitted in documents that she 'worked in concert' with Adams. Specifically, she was there to fight a woman there. Adams' family has contested this. According to an autopsy report they provided to the Post-Tribune, Adams was shot in the head, twice in the back, once in the groin and thigh. That could not be independently verified by the Lake County Coroner's Office Adams was charged in an unrelated case in connection with the Jan. 13, 2020 death of Julio Salinas, 39, of East Chicago. That case was pleaded down to Level 5 felony assisting a criminal last year. His co-defendant Josue Anaya was gunned down in 2022.
