Braun Wants to Enhance Oversight of Regulatory Commission
Gov. Braun Wants to Enhance Oversight of State’s Regulatory Commission
STATEWIDE — The state is looking at ways to improve oversight of it’s regulatory commission while also addressing rising utility costs.
On Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced that he has appointed three new members to the nominating committee of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). The IURC is a state government agency that makes decisions in the interest of the public to ensure the utilities provide safe, reliable and affordable service.
“Our state must have reliable utilities without overwhelming Hoosier families with skyrocketing rates,” Gov. Braun said Tuesday at the Statehouse.
Indiana’s Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Suzie Jaworowski, former Republican state Rep. Dollyne Sherman and business executive Cory Cochran will all join the nominating committee. They will help review applications and also recommend candidates to the governor.
Gov. Braun encouraged qualified people to apply for the open positions on the IURC.
“If you can bring objectivity and fairness to the table, we want to hear from you,” he said.
This comes as multiple Indiana electric companies, including AES, have asked for rate hikes. If approved, AES’s request would increase electric bills for Hoosiers by about $21 a month.
Next spring, the IURC is expected to decide on whether to approve the requests. The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor already recommended denying AES’s request for a rate increase earlier this month.
“Together we will ensure that energy progress doesn’t come at the expense of Hoosier ratepayers’ ability to afford their energy bills,” Gov. Braun added.
The application process is open until the end of the day on Oct. 14. Those interested can apply online.
