Overview
- A powerful derecho on Aug. 11 knocked out power for roughly 374,500 NIPSCO customers and left some communities without electricity for up to two weeks.
- NIPSCO filed three regulatory rate-adjustment requests on Aug. 11, Aug. 14 and Aug. 20 that together would add about $88 a year to the average bill if the IURC approves them.
- The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission opened a vegetation-management investigation after its data showed NIPSCO trimmed 954 miles of line last year versus a promised 1,263 miles, and Governor Mike Braun directed the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to petition the IURC.
- NIPSCO says the August filings are routine quarterly or semiannual adjustments but critics and a class-action suit say missed tree trimming, rising bills and roughly $2.5 billion in authorized spending raise questions about preparedness and who should pay for recovery.
- The IURC proceeding could force NIPSCO to disclose maintenance and spending records, affect whether storm and cleanup costs are passed to customers, and prompt lawmakers to consider changes to utility oversight and cost-recovery rules.