Kerwin Olson

State Approves NIPSCO Rate Increase

By Rebecca Thiele • Dec 5, 2019

The state has approved the northern Indiana utility NIPSCO’s controversial rate increase. The utility will raise rates for residents while allowing industrial companies to buy potentially cheaper energy elsewhere. 

Will Vectren Be Mostly Wind And Solar In The Future?

By Rebecca Thiele • Sep 4, 2019

Since Vectren’s plan to build a large natural gas plant was rejected in April, the utility has been looking for other sources to replace its three retiring coal units. If the utility’s recent energy bids are any indication, we could see more renewables in the mix. 

OUCC: I&M's Rate Proposal Not As Green Or Beneficial To Customers

By Rebecca Thiele • Aug 22, 2019

A consumer advocate group says Indiana Michigan Power doesn’t need most of its proposed $172 million rate increase. Under I&M’s proposal, customers’ monthly bills would go up by more than 11 percent — an increase of about $21 for a typical resident. 

Environmentalists Disappointed By Duke Energy's Latest 20-Year Plan

By Rebecca Thiele • Jun 26, 2019

Duke Energy released its 20-year plan this week — including hopes to retire some of its coal plants early. But environmentalists say the utility isn’t keeping up with the faster trend toward renewable energy. 

Holcomb Signs Off On Carbon Storage Project

By Rebecca Thiele • May 10, 2019
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law approving a carbon dioxide underground storage pilot project as well as a statewide study of carbon capture. (Justin Hicks/IPB News)

A pilot project to store carbon dioxide emissions underground has gotten the green light from the governor. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law approving the pilot project as well as a statewide study of carbon capture. 

Environmentalists Call Duke Energy 'Public Energy Enemy No. 1'

By Rebecca Thiele • May 2, 2019
A Duke Energy substation in Lafayette, 2008. (Patrick Finnegan/Wikimedia Commons)

Duke Energy is holding the country back from making a faster transition to renewable energy. That’s according to a report released Wednesday by the Environmental Working Group. It says Duke has focused on coal and natural gas, while neglecting to add many renewable energy sources. 

State Denies Vectren's Natural Gas Plant Proposal

By Rebecca Thiele • Apr 26, 2019
Vectren's headquarters in Evansville. (Samantha Horton/IPB News)

It looks like Vectren won’t be getting a new natural gas plant. On Wednesday, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission rejected the utility’s proposal for an 850 megawatt facility in the Evansville area. 

CO2 Storage Bill Passes House

By Rebecca Thiele • Mar 25, 2019
Ways carbon dioxide can be sequestered on land and underground. (LeJean Hardin and Jamie Payne/Wikimedia Commons)

A bill that would create a pilot program to store carbon dioxide underground is going back to the state Senate. The legislation, which passed the House on Monday, has undergone a lot of changes.

Utility Legislation: Upgrading Infrastructure Or 'Blank Check'

By Rebecca Thiele • Mar 15, 2019
The Citizens Action Coalition's Kerwin Olson expresses his opposition to the TDSIC bill in front of the Senate Utilities committee (Rebecca Thiele/IPB News)

A controversial bill moving through the state Senate would make changes to a law that lets utilities more quickly recover the costs of certain projects from ratepayers. It involves the Transmission, Distribution, and Storage Improvement Charge or TDSIC. 

Senate Bill Would Make CO2 Storage Easier

By Rebecca Thiele • Feb 14, 2019
Ways carbon dioxide can be sequestered on land and underground. (LeJean Hardin and Jamie Payne/Wikimedia Commons)

A bill working its way through the state Senate would make it easier for companies to store carbon dioxide underground. Some tout it as a way to help address climate change because it keeps the greenhouse gas out of the air. But a state activist group says it could do the opposite. 

Pages