Residents plan protest as mayor blames IURC and data-center demand for higher NIPSCO bills
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Summary
At Mayor's Night Out, residents and the mayor discussed steep NIPSCO utility bills; Mayor McDermott pointed to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission as the body that sets rates and to data-center demand and retired generation capacity as drivers. A resident announced a Feb. 1 protest at NIPSCO’s Hammond office.
Residents raised sharply higher monthly utility bills at the Jan. 28 Mayor’s Night Out. Mayor Tom McDermott described the drivers he sees behind the increases: decisions by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), data-center demand for power and a lack of new generation capacity after plant retirements.
McDermott explained that IURC is a five-member body appointed by the governor that approves rate proposals submitted by utilities. "Five out of five of the people on that board set the rate policies across the state," he said, adding that the commission’s posture can be more business-friendly and that rate requests are sometimes approved with little public pushback. He also said data centers compete for electricity and that the closure of some generating stations without equivalent new capacity contributes to upward pressure on bills.
A resident announced a planned protest at NIPSCO’s 167th Street Hammond office on Sunday, Feb. 1, which McDermott acknowledged. The mayor urged residents to raise issues through civic channels and warned that while criticism of NIPSCO is popular, the utility remains a necessary partner for major city projects.
No legal or regulatory steps were taken at the meeting; the discussion was informational. McDermott urged residents to pursue complaints through public demonstrations or by engaging with regulators and noted the complexity of the issue involves state- and federal-level energy and permitting choices.