The Lake County Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing rate increases from the Northern Indiana Public Service Company.
The council approved the resolution in a 6-0 vote with no discussion. Councilman Charlie Brown, D-3rd, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting and the county budget reading.
“I think this is self-explanatory,” said Council President Christine Cid, D-5th.
According to council documents, the resolution asks the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to vote against the rate increases.
On Aug. 11, Aug. 14 and Aug. 20, NIPSCO made three regulatory filings that are “routine quarterly or semi-annual proceedings” with the IURC. The filings recover NIPSCO’s fuel costs, regional transmission organization costs, and resource adequacy and reliability costs, according to a previous statement from the utility company.
In a previous statement, a NIPSCO representative said the filings are not rate increases.
“These filings address specific costs that are reviewed through IURC-approved processes including fuel and electric grid expenses,” the statement said. “They also return credits to customers from the benefits provided by NIPSCO’s renewable energy resources, including production and investment tax credits and energy sales.
“We understand that customers are focused on affordability, and we remain committed to being transparent about the costs that make up their bill while offering tools and support to help manage their energy confidently.”
A NIPSCO representative said in a Tuesday afternoon email that the utility does not have new information to share following the council’s vote.
According to Post-Tribune archives, NIPSCO’s August filings will increase electric rates by about $7.33 per month. The increases are trackers, which “allow the utility to recover expenditures on an ongoing basis by adjusting rates on a quarterly or biannual basis for certain categories of costs,” according to the Citizen Action Coalition’s website. Trackers allow utilities to recover costs, and if they underspend, they pass back a credit to customers.
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In 2013, the Indiana General Assembly passed a bill that allowed trackers. County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, previously said that legislation creating trackers and other issues has snowballed over the past 20 years.
The council’s resolution is the latest criticism of NIPSCO from electric officials. In August, Gov. Mike Braun asked the Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor to file a complaint and petition the IURC to investigate NIPSCO following prolonged power outages.
Following an Aug. 11 derecho, more than 300,000 NIPSCO customers were without power. In Gary, tens of thousands of residents were without power for about two weeks.