House debate over utility bill centers on small modular reactors, ratepayer protections

Representative Pierce offered three amendments to House Bill 1007, a utilities measure that creates new pathways for expedited approval of generation to serve large loads such as data centers and includes provisions affecting small modular reactors (SMRs) and cost recovery by utilities.

Pierce framed his first amendment as a ratepayer-protection measure, saying the bill as written would allow utilities to recover “the cost of all that planning” from customers even if an SMR project is never built. He warned the provision could let utilities “speculate” with customers’ money by charging ratepayers for planning and engineering for an unproven technology. “You don't need to have any skin in the game. All the skin [is] on the ratepayer,” Pierce said on the House floor.

Supporters of the underlying bill argued the measure is intended to position Indiana to attract SMR manufacturing and to provide a regulatory path for new technologies. A proponent described efforts to bring SMR manufacture to Indiana and said existing federal and regulatory delays—not the state bill—have driven cost increases in national SMR projects. That speaker, during floor debate, noted Indiana may be…