Indiana regulators are receiving a mountain of protest over NIPSCO's proposed 15.6 percent hike in residential electric rates, with public comments taken into evidence approaching the 1,000 mark.
At an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission field hearing March 3 in Gary, 278 people submitted written comments and 66 took to the microphone and spoke directly to commissioners, IURC spokeswoman Danielle Dravet said.
A "stack" of petitions signed by ratepayers also was submitted, Dravet said.
More than 300 people packed the auditorium at Savanna Auditorium at Indiana University Northwest to capacity that night, while at least an equal number were barred from entering by campus police until seats opened up.
Church and community groups in Lake County mobilized for the event, bringing bus loads of protestors and petitions signed at a rally the previous week.
"Considering the fact they haven't had a rate case in more than 20 years, we were very impressed by the turnout," Dravet said.
In the weeks leading up the hearing, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor collected 342 letters, e-mails and faxes commenting on the proposed NIPSCO rate hike, OUCC spokesman Anthony Swinger said.
Subsequent to the hearing, the OUCC has received 275 comments and six petitions, Swinger said.
Some speakers from local chambers of commerce praised NIPSCO as a good corporate citizen at the March 3 hearing, but they did not endorse the requested rate increase.
All comments received by the OUCC are turned over to the IURC and entered into evidence in the case, Swinger said.
The public has until April 10 to submit comments to the OUCC by phone, letter, e-mail or fax, Swinger said.
NIPSCO filed its rate hike request with regulators in August. NIPSCO was required to file the rate case sometime in 2008 under a previous settlement with consumer groups.
The utility, Indiana's largest, says it needs the rate hike because of increased costs for transportation, materials, fuel and environmental safeguards.
NIPSCO will look at all comments once they are entered into evidence in the case, said NIPSCO spokesman Nick Meyer.
Swinger said only a couple of IURC field hearings in recent times have drawn crowds and comment similar to the one on March 3. Those were the IURC hearings on the Edwardsport coal-gasification plant in 2007 and one four years ago in South Bend on utility customer deposits.
The IURC is not expected to make a decision on NIPSCO rates until later this year or in early 2010.
