IPL wins reversal in worker’s electrocution lawsuit
Precedent gave Indianapolis Power and Light a reversal in lawsuit brought by a man who was electrocuted by the utility’s uninsulated power lines.
Utility law
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Reversal: COA rules for gas installer company’s founder in valuation dispute
An appellate panel reversed in favor of the founder of a natural gas installation company after it found the value of his shares under a buyback provision in a company agreement couldn’t be discounted for lack of marketability and control.
Utility owes no duty to property owner in fire sprinkler flood dispute
A utility company is not responsible for extensive flooding damage to a property management company building after its fire sprinkler pipes burst after winter, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
Supreme Court hears arguments in stoplight crash suit against IPL
Indiana Supreme Court justices heard oral argument Thursday on the question of whether a utility may face liability for people injured in a traffic crash in which a malfunctioning stoplight played a role.
Justices to hear arguments in stoplight outage crash suit against IPL
Oral arguments in a negligence case brought by a family severely injured in a crash in a traffic intersection after a 2016 storm will be heard by Indiana Supreme Court justices this week. Per an order issued Monday, attendance at the argument will be limited to parties and counsel, but the argument may be viewed online.
Indiana lawmakers pass controversial coal bill
A controversial bill that would prohibit Indiana utilities from shutting down coal-fired power plants before May 2021 has passed both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly and is on its way to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature.
COA reverses for Duke Energy, orders easement improvements removed
A massive utility company has secured a reversal and judgment from the Indiana Court of Appeals following an easement-related dispute with a neighborhood developer. The result means a southern Indiana developer must remove the entrance to residential development under construction.
House panel approves bill that would prohibit utilities from shutting down coal-fired plants
A bill that would prevent Indiana utilities from shutting down coal-fired power plants without state permission was approved by a House panel on Wednesday, despite widespread opposition from business, environmental, utility, ratepayer and social justice groups.
Indiana utilities would be prevented from shutting down coal-fired plants under new bill
Indianapolis Power & Light’s Harding Street station will soon shut down its last coal-powered turbine, for conversion to natural-gas-generated electricity.
Lawrenceburg distillery loses sewer rate ordinance appeal
A Lawrenceburg distillery couldn’t persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday to reverse a ruling upholding a regional sewer district’s adoption of an ordinance that excluded it from being considered a direct customer.
NIPSCO paying $1 million fine over hiring complaint
A major Indiana utility company has agreed to pay a $1 million fine in settling a federal complaint that it discriminated against some 1,500 female or black job applicants.
COA affirms IURC’s order in Hamilton Southeastern rate case
An order from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission requiring a Hamilton County utility to comply with national guidelines to support a rate hike was upheld Tuesday by the Indiana Court of Appeals. Hamilton Southeastern Utilities uses its operations contractor, Sanitary Management & Engineering Co., to carry out all operation, maintenance and engineering functions of HSE’s […]
Reversal: Utility must face suit in stoplight outage crash
Negligence claims brought against Indianapolis Power & Light after an auto accident caused by inoperable traffic lights will continue after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a ruling granting the power company judgment on the pleadings.
Judge tosses shareholder suit in Vectren merger
A federal judge has turned away a shareholder lawsuit over a major Indiana utility’s 2018 merger with a Texas-based public utility holding company, using a back-to-school analogy to reason his dismissal of the litigation.
Harrell & Dodane: Final ACE rule trumps CPP, lets states set standards
On June 19, United States Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the final version of the Affordable Clean Energy rule that was initially proposed on Aug. 21, 2018. The ACE final rule repeals and replaces the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which attempted to impose first-ever carbon dioxide emission standards on existing fossil fuel power plants.
McGimpsey: Digital water pivots utilities from reactive to proactive
Data has transformed how every industry does business, including utilities. The term “digital water” is a hot topic right now as more water and wastewater utilities look to improve operations and communications with customers. While it can be challenging for utilities to take steps toward implementing digital water technologies, those that do could see significant benefits across multiple departments.
COA orders sewer dispute to be ‘plunged’ from docket
The Indiana Court of Appeals urged litigants to “move on in good faith” from a case that is a “waste of everyone’s resources” as it handed down its second decision in a nearly 20-year sewer dispute between a northern Indiana town and a local real estate owner.
NIPSCO loses appeal in damaged gas line small-claims suit
An excavation company found at fault for the destruction of a new home’s gas line will still have to pay up to the Northern Indiana Public Service Company despite the latter’s assertion that the company could not be held liable for a landscaper’s failure to mark the gas lines.
US won’t impose rule to protect against coal ash spill costs
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it won’t require electric utilities to show they have money to clean up hazardous spills from power plants despite a history of toxic coal ash releases contaminating rivers and aquifers.
Majority of Indiana justices rule for NIPSCO in rate fight
Asserting in a 3-2 decision that allowing a group of angry industrial ratepayers to prevail could cause the lights to go out and the furnace to switch off, a split Indiana Supreme Court has upheld a utility’s petition to raise customers’ electric bills. The NIPSCO Industrial Group had challenged Northern Indiana Public Service Co.’s second […]