Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has appointed Joshua Bain, a Republican Indianapolis City-County Council member, to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, adding another twist to the fight over electricity costs in the Indianapolis area.
Given Bain's past history, WFYI noted the appointment could have major implications for AES Indiana.
What happened?
Bain's appointment to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission became effective immediately after Braun removed a commissioner, the station said. Bain serves in a senior legislative and intergovernmental role at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
He reportedly enters the job with the commission already under intense attention because of AES Indiana. In June, regulators signed off on a $71 million increase for the investor-owned utility that serves the Indianapolis area.
The June decision has already led to wider fallout. Braun blasted the ruling, former Republican state senator Andy Zay was first demoted and then fired, and both the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and Citizens Action Coalition challenged the AES case.
Bain had opposed that request before arriving at the state level. As a council member, he co-sponsored an October 6 resolution pressing AES to pull back its filing and asking regulators to deny it if the company kept going.
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Braun framed the choice to appoint Bain around utility bills.
"As families and businesses continue to feel the pressure of rising costs, it's essential that we have leaders who will be ratepayer conscience," he said in a statement, per WFYI.
Why does it matter?
When the commission approves or denies utility requests, the consequences can land directly on customers' monthly bills because the agency decides both whether rates can rise and how costs reach households. In that light, a $71 million increase is hardly a niche policy matter.
Indiana law tells the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to consider more than a utility's request alone. It must weigh the interests of consumers and utility companies while also accounting for what WFYI described as the state's energy policy pillars of reliability, resilience, stability, affordability, and environmental sustainability.
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Those goals can pull in different directions. Even with his earlier opposition to AES's filing, Bain said in an October 30 interview for the position that he could still judge cases fairly.
Regulators have until September 8 to rule on the challenges in the AES matter, and if they do nothing by then, the petitions are treated as denied.
What's being done?
The pushback to AES's rate hike is already in the formal case record. In July, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor sought a rehearing and reconsideration, saying regulators gave affordability too little weight and did not fully evaluate the evidence.
Citizens Action Coalition submitted a separate petition, and AES has urged the commission to throw the challenges out.
Bain argued that the commission needs to move faster as the energy landscape changes, including from economic expansion and heavier demand from data centers. He said those developments need not shift costs onto other customers so long as the large users pay their share.
Braun touted Bain's appointment with that sort of thinking in mind.
"I am confident he will serve with integrity and keep affordability and the public interest at the forefront of every decision," he concluded in the statement, as WFYI noted.
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