Court rejects CenterPoint’s billing method for solar power
The Indiana appeals court has ruled in favor of consumer advocacy groups that challenged a change in the way a southwestern Indiana utility bills customers who have solar panels.
Energy & Environment
Articles
Indiana panel advances bill giving broad liability protection to energy company
An Indiana House panel narrowly passed a bill on Tuesday that would prevent an energy company from being sued if its plans to pump carbon emissions thousands of feet underground diminish the value of neighboring properties.
BP agrees to $500K penalty, soot limits at Indiana refinery
Oil giant BP agreed Thursday to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana under an agreement with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal.
2008 Mississippi River spill: Jeffersonville barge company to pay $6.6M
An Indiana-based barge company responsible for a Mississippi River oil spill that significantly damage shoreline habitat in south Louisiana in 2008 has agreed to pay $2.1 million in damages and buy and preserve a wildlife habitat just miles from downtown New Orleans.
Ohio lawmakers look to repeal subsidy for coal plant in Madison
Some lawmakers in the Ohio Legislature want to end a subsidy for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants — including one in Indiana — that have cost state electric customers more than $340 million thus far and leave them on the hook for hundreds of millions more, thanks to a tainted energy bill that led to the biggest corruption scandal in state history.
Indiana Supreme Court to consider Duke Energy rate increase
The Indiana Supreme Court is delving into a dispute over Duke Energy’s request to raise rates to recover funds spent on coal ash remediation.
7th Circuit upholds dismissal of Vectren shareholders’ suit against merger
A panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a district court’s ruling that dismissed a shareholder lawsuit over the acquisition of one of Indiana’s major utility companies with an out-of-state public utility holding company in 2018.
Coal to diesel project fuels evidentiary standard argument
A plan to build the country’s first direct coal-hydrogenation refinery in southern Indiana has spawned a crop of flimsy yard signs proclaiming either support for or opposition to the project and has caused a legal argument to flourish over how much ordinary Hoosiers need to do to get their day in court.
Greener pastures?
Spencer County has been selected to build the first direct coal-hydrogenation refinery in the U.S., and a request has been submitted in Posey County to build a natural gas pipeline under the Ohio River into Evansville. Despite promises of cleaner energy and increased commerce, both projects are being met with opposition from environmental organizations and county residents.
Concerns rise over natural gas turbines, underwater pipeline
CenterPoint Energy, formerly known as Vectren, has submitted a request to build two natural gas turbines in place of its coal-burning generators at the southern Indiana A.B. Brown Power Plant. But residents and environmental groups are opposing the project.
Pashos: Indiana’s 21st Century Energy Task Force continues its work
Indiana’s second 21st Century Energy Task Force began its work last month at the state Capitol. The first task force was created by the General Assembly in 2019 to explore how fuel transitions and emerging technologies may affect the state’s electric system, with particular emphasis on reliability and affordability.
AES Indiana sues insurers over coal-ash cleanup liability
AES Indiana is suing more than a dozen insurance companies, claiming they have refused to indemnify and defend the utility for coal-ash environmental cleanup that could exceed $177 million at three generating plants.
Supreme Court won’t sidetrack plans for natural gas pipeline
The Supreme Court sided Tuesday with a pipeline company in a dispute with New Jersey over land the company needs for a natural gas pipeline.
COA affirms disputed votes in favor of Madison Co. solar farm
The votes of two Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals members regarding a disputed solar energy project were valid, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled. It also held that the board’s approval of special use applications and setback variances were supported by substantial evidence.
Governor signs controversial wetlands bill into law
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a controversial wetlands bill into law on Thursday, disappointing numerous environmental, conservation and civic groups that had spoken out against the legislation.
Supreme Court wrestles with New Jersey pipeline case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with how to resolve a clash between the state of New Jersey and a pipeline company over land the company needs for a natural gas pipeline.
Indianapolis attorney’s leap to classroom highlights role, value of adjunct law faculty
Environmental attorney Kathryn Watson was already scheduled to be a guest speaker in the clean air law class during Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law’s spring semester when the professor called to ask if she would be willing to shoulder a bit more responsibility.
Indiana governor vetoes bill requiring ethanol warning label
Gov. Eric Holcomb has vetoed a bill that would require additional labeling for Indiana gas pumps that distribute E15, a fuel blend that contains up to 15% ethanol in gasoline.
Holcomb asked to veto wetlands bill by environmental activists, Hoosiers
More than 100 activists and residents from across the state are pleading with Gov. Eric Holcomb to veto a bill that would remove a large chunk of protections from Indiana’s wetlands, which were the target of a bill that opponents say could damage water supply, wildlife and vegetation.
Judge: BP’s Whiting refinery violated soot emission limits
A BP refinery in northwestern Indiana repeatedly violated air pollution standards for soot emissions between 2015 and 2018, a federal judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by environmental advocates.