The primary function of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is to act as a surrogate to competition. The IURC oversees a range of utility issues, hearing nearly 300 cases in 2022 alone. CAC engages in numerous cases and proceedings at the IURC each year. We work to limit cost increases to consumers, secure protections for vulnerable populations, increase investments in energy efficiency, and expedite Indiana’s transition to renewable energy.

If You’re Not at the Table, You’re on the Menu

Cases before the IURC are legal proceedings, frequently with hundreds of millions, and sometimes billions of dollars at stake. For electric utilities, these types of cases include rate cases, fuel cost proceedings, and requests to build or procure new generation resources, like solar or wind farms, and new gas-fired power plants. 

In high dollar cases before the IURC, utilities and other monied interests lawyer up and hire experts to argue for their desired outcome before the IURC. Large industrial energy users, like steel mills or auto plants, and large commercial customers, like Kroger and Walmart, also frequently intervene to make sure their needs are represented. Other potentially impacted and interested stakeholders also participate, like trade associations representing coal interests or renewable energy companies, to ensure that their members' voices are heard as part of the process.  

CAC intervenes to make sure the needs of residential ratepayers are represented before the IURC. CAC works hard to push utilities to spend your money wisely. We advocate for this at every opportunity.

The IURC and the Indiana General Assembly

The Indiana General Assembly frequently passes legislation that affects the IURC’s decision-making authority. Trackers for transmission and distribution upgrades (TDSIC trackers) and Construction Work in Progress (CWIP allows utilities to charge ratepayers for power plants while they are under construction, before they are producing any electricity, and even if they NEVER produce any electricity) are perhaps the most extreme example of state legislators turning the IURC into a rubber stamp. The Indiana General Assembly has also reduced the IURC’s authority regarding energy efficiency programs, power plant construction costs, and cost recovery for toxic coal ash cleanup and pollution control equipment.

Even with a challenging policy landscape which has reduced IURC authority and flexibility, CAC engages at the IURC to stand up for ratepayers and work to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy.