Burton: ‘An $18 million price tag to operate an insufficient coal plant is completely irresponsible’
Today, April 16, the Citizens Action Coalition released a statement revealing a prior request from Centerpoint Energy to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) urging the federal government to not reissue an emergency order on a costly coal plant, Culley Unit 2, located in Southwest Indiana.
The U.S. DOE disregarded CenterPoint's pleas, as another order was issued on March 23, 2026, to keep the unit open through at least June 21, 2026.
State Rep. Alex Burton (D-Evansville), a member of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, issued the following statement on the U.S. DOE's decision to reissue an emergency order:
"Energy costs in Indiana is the leading issue many Hoosiers are facing right now. This decision by the DOE reaffirms that the current strategy at the federal level is costly and negatively impacting Hoosier bank accounts.
"Indiana's energy policy is dependent upon the leadership in D.C. and unfortunately, a misguided and false narrative led to a costly, inefficient and unreliable emergency order to go into effect – completely ignoring CenterPoint's concerns, input from MISO and NERC's assessment. CenterPoint communicated the necessary information clearly, yet they were still ignored.
"An $18 million price tag on an inoperable energy source is completely irresponsible. And is a slap to the face to Hoosier taxpayers as energy costs continue to rise and put even more financial hardship on working Hoosier families.
"Hoosiers want relief, yet the current administration in D.C. is focused on manufactured chaos rather than strategic policies aimed at reducing monthly energy bills, increasing domestic energy generation and improving overall energy reliability.
"This decision was made at the expense of Hoosiers' hard-earned dollars. The federal government claims to put America first, but our energy bills, health, and economy are jeopardized. Our best interests were ignored. This administration is claiming victory at the expense of Hoosier ratepayers – they can and must do better."