Legislation to consider a public takeover of NIPSCO on Thursday cleared the Senate Utilities and Regulatory Affairs Committee on a 9-0 vote.

House Bill 1824, which moves to the full Senate, allows county officials to commission a study of what it would take to have public power authority buy out NIPSCO and run its power plants and grid. Commissioners from three counties in NIPSCO's northern Indiana service territory would have to ask the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to pursue the matter.

The legislation, authored by state Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, comes in response to reports that parent company NiSource is courting buyers for its electric service arm.

State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, wanted HB 1824 amended so that a NIPSCO rate review scheduled for 2008 remains in place even if the utility is sold. Utilities Chairman Brandt Hershman, R-Wheatfield, did not consider the proposal.

"I don't know why he didn't call it, because I believe that I did have the votes to get it passed. I think three quarters of the members of that committee have NIPSCO in their service area," Tallian said. "They seem to be on the sales block, so I wanted to make sure that it's covered next year."