Novak calls for public hearings, legislative action on utility regulation

Today, Aug. 26, Northwest Indiana's Democratic House delegation, joined by the ranking minority member of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, called on Speaker Todd Huston to direct the General Assembly to investigate NIPSCO's response to the Aug. 11 derecho that left hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers without electricity — thousands for more than two weeks. The full letter is attached.

State Rep. Randy Novak (D-Michigan City) issued the following statement:

"While I welcome the governor's call for an investigation into NIPSCO's mishandling of the recent widespread power outage, the General Assembly needs to prioritize legislation regulating utilities. We are calling for public hearings that will help the legislature gather information on what needs to be done to rein in these monopolies like NIPSCO that have failed in their duty to their customers. This will allow us to come back to the Statehouse in January with a better perspective on how to prevent future outages and extreme rate hikes. NIPSCO owes its customers answers after the total mess we have been through.

"The governor can hire and fire as many regulators as he wants, but a revolving door is not going to solve our problems with utility companies. The bottom line is that the IURC is beholden to the rules set for it by the General Assembly. If we want to see real change with how our utilities are regulated, the legislature needs to take action. Utility companies like NIPSCO have to be held to a higher standard.

"During the 2027 regular session, I think that all members of the General Assembly need to take a long hard look at the pain that rising, expensive utility bills are causing their constituents. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting legislation that gives Hoosiers real relief."