DENVER, April 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- (Nasdaq:
HNRG) - Scott Pruitt, former
Administrator of the EPA has registered on behalf of Rail Point
Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of Hallador Energy Company, as a
lobbyist to attempt to protect the ratepayers of Indiana from Vectren and NIPSCO rate
increases. Both of these Indiana utilities are proposing policies that
will increase their customers' electricity bills. The Indiana
Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) ultimately will decide the
outcome of these policies, but Vectren and NIPSCO are arguing that
the IURC should close plants based on Obama era rules that Trump
and his EPA are in the process of unwinding. Their argument
is that no one knows what the new rules will look like so we should
hurry and make permanent decisions today. Who better than
Scott Pruitt to aid the Indiana legislature on what Trump energy
policy will look like?
If the IURC rules in Vectren and NIPSCO's favor, both utilities
will likely receive accelerated payments on the plants they are
closing plus a guaranteed return on their investment in new
plants. Such a ruling would bring great profits to the
utilities' shareholders at the expense of their customers. In
Vectren's case, a study shows that the average Vectren customer's
rates will increase by 27%, if their project stays on
budget.
In the last 10 years, Indiana
coal consumption has declined by 26%, at the same time Indiana electricity rates have increased by
26%. Is there a correlation? At the same time,
Indiana has slipped from the
6th most competitive state based on electricity rates to
30th. Will this affect job creation?
Ultimately, Governor Holcomb is not allowed to instruct the IURC
on energy policy, it is up to the Indiana legislature to create an energy plan
for the IURC to follow. We are asking the legislature to add
two sentences to the budget bill that prevent the IURC from making
decisions based on rules that the EPA is currently reconsidering,
and in some instances has already reversed. We are asking the
Indiana legislature to act and
prevent rates from increasing unnecessarily. A failure to act
will most assuredly lead to higher rates on Indiana consumers and businesses. We are
reaching out to our friends in the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Indiana
Manufacturer Association to ask them to help us in this
effort.
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SOURCE Hallador Energy Company