Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has lifted a longtime utility customer advocate to the state’s top job — and directed her to find ways to cut bills.
Two members of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission also have announced plans to resign early, handing Braun more opportunities to impact utility rates. They join a third whose term has already lapsed.
“Hoosiers have been burdened with utility rate increase after increase. We can’t take it anymore,” Braun said in a Wednesday news release. His chief of staff told reporters that the governor will be focusing on energy and energy rates this fall.
Braun appointed Abby Gray to run the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor on Tuesday, according to the agency’s website. The 92-year-old office serves as utility customers’ legal and technical representative in IURC rate cases and matters.
Gray previously spent more than 16 years directing legal operations for the agency, per the website. Before that, she served 23 years as a senior administrative law judge and senior commission counsel for the IURC.
“I have dedicated my career to public service and it’s the honor of a lifetime to continue to serve Indiana ratepayers in this new role,” Gray said. “I am deeply humbled and appreciative of Governor Braun’s confidence in me and look forward to advocating for Indiana utility consumers.”
Former Counselor William Fine left his longtime post last week.
Braun also directed Gray to evaluate utility companies’ profits and look at other cost-saving measures to “ease the burden on ratepayers.”
“I would also like to see the utilities’ investors bear more of the cost of doing business,” he added, pointedly.
That’s the IURC’s realm.
Changes coming for utility regulators
When regulated utilities want to hike customer bills, they go to the commission for permission. The IURC can also regulate construction projects, asset acquisition, financing, bonding, environmental compliance plans, service territories and more.
While Gray and the OUCC explicitly represent Hoosiers, the commission is “an advocate of neither the public nor the utilities,” according to its website. It is supposed to ensure utilities provide safe, reliable service at just and reasonable rates.
Indiana’s “big five” investor-owned electricity providers are monopolies in their exclusive service territories.
Gubernatorial candidate Braun promised that, as seats on the IURC “become open,” he’d add appointees that “hold my views on the future of energy in Indiana.” Now, as governor, he has vacancies to fill.
IURC Chair Jim Huston’s current term ended in April. Without a replacement named, he’s continued serving. The terms for Commissioners Sarah Freeman and Wesley Bennett were set to end early next year, but both announced plans on Wednesday to resign in October.
In a news release, Freeman said she was “honored” to have spent nine years as a commissioner, and thanked Huston for his leadership.
Bennett called it a “blessing” to have served Hoosiers alongside his commission colleagues for the last two years.
Both have notified Braun of their intent to step down, according to the release, “ensuring time for the IURC Nominating Committee to open applications and fill the vacancies by their resignations.”
The administration says it wants the IURC to give more scrutiny to rate cases brought by the investor-owned utilities. New appointees will focus on ratepayers, affordability and supply.
Some lawmakers applauded Braun’s actions, but warned that Hoosier ratepayers are unlikely to see relief.
“I appreciate Gov. Braun’s stated commitment to lowering utility costs for consumers and share that desire with him,” Rep. Carey Hamilton, D-Indianapolis, said in a news release Wednesday. “… Changing the consumer ratepayer advocate commissioner does little to change the fact that the legal deck is stacked against Indiana utility consumers.”
“Thanks to a slew of new laws championed by the Republican supermajority, utility companies are still allowed to pass on the cost of expensive experimental projects to consumers, and data centers are exempt from paying sales tax,” she continued. “I hope that my House Republican colleagues will join us in advocating for consumers over utility company profits in the future, especially as consumers begin to understand that AI companies are passing on the cost of doing business to everyday families.”
Rep. Alex Burton, D-Evansville, also announced plans to file legislation aimed at lowering utility bills next session.
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