INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The leader of a consumer watchdog
group said Tuesday that Indiana lawmakers put the state at a
disadvantage when they passed a bill killing an energy-efficiency
program that could have helped the state meet the new federal
carbon-emission goal by 2030.
Lawmakers approved a bill in March
that will halt the state’s fledging Energizing Indiana program on Dec.
31, ending its energy-saving efforts such as low-income home
weatherizations.
Citizens Action Coalition executive director
Kerwin Olson said lawmakers were "short-sighted" in light of Monday’s
announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which said
coal-dependent Indiana has three years to come up with a plan to cut
carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent over the next 16 years as part of
a sweeping national push to combat global warming. Energy-efficiency
programs are among the tools states can use to reach their
carbon-reduction goal.
"We kind of shot ourselves in the foot here
in Indiana by eliminating these programs. It was a short-sighted
decision and more so now that we’ve seen these carbon rules that would
allow efficiency programs to be used as a tool to meet these goals,"
Olson said.
Although Gov. Mike Pence said in March he was
disappointed lawmakers killed the program without offering a
replacement, he nonetheless allowed the law to take effect. The
Republican governor said he would propose an alternative program for
lawmakers to consider next year.
Indiana’s five largest electric
utilities have all filed proposals outlining energy-efficiency programs
they hope to implement after the Energizing Indiana program ends. The
plans by Duke Energy, Vectren, Indiana Michigan Power, Northern Indiana
Public Service Co. and Indianapolis Power & Light need the Indiana
Utility Regulatory Commission’s approval.
IURC spokeswoman
Danielle McGrath said the commission will consider those plans as it
drafts recommendations that Pence had requested for a successor to the
Energizing Indiana program. The panel is also working to prepare an
assessment for lawmakers by Aug. 15 on Indiana’s efficiency programs —
findings that could factor in legislation next session.
The IURC is also accepting public input until Monday on Indiana’s future energy-efficiency programs.
"So there are kind of three different tracks going on, but all under that same umbrella,"
McGrath said.
Energizing
Indiana, which began in 2012, has saved enough energy to power nearly
93,000 Indiana homes, according to its website. Its goal was achieving a
2 percent annual savings in total electric sales by 2019.
Supporters,
including businesses and environmental groups, said it has employed
hundreds of workers and saved money for consumers who receive free
in-home energy audits. But Indiana’s manufacturing and utility interests
argued the program, financed through a fee on monthly electricity
bills, had proven too costly and industrial users saw few benefits.
Duke
Energy is Indiana’s largest electric utility, with about 800,000
customers in 69 of Indiana’s 92 counties. Spokesman Lew Middleton said
Duke Energy’s energy-efficiency proposal would restore programs it
offered to its customers from 1991 until the Energizing Indiana program
began.
"Instead of mandated targets what we’re doing is simply
saying to our customers, ‘We’ve got this portfolio of energy-efficiency
programs we can offer and we encourage you to take advantage of those —
you can save energy and save money," he said.
Olson, of the
Citizens Action Coalition, said the utilities’ plans are "not bad" but
all but one of them would cover only a single year. He said the consumer
watchdog group would prefer utilities offer 3-year programs.