Citizens Action Coalition

Statewide advocates for electric ratepayers and the environment came to Granger Wednesday night to talk about the data center that Microsoft will start building this summer. They urged Microsoft to be more transparent and they called on St. Joseph County officials to watch out for constituents as they negotiate a development agreement.

It would allow utilities to recover the cost of “unexpected events” that ended up being more expensive than what they budgeted for.

It’s something utilities can already do with other types of power. But some question whether ratepayers would benefit overall and if the state should encourage more natural gas.

Both bills passed unanimously and no one spoke in opposition.

The war in Ukraine and the pandemic have dramatically driven up fuel costs. The highest recent fuel adjustment was by AES Indiana — where the average customer paid an extra $24 a month from September to November.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Sierra Club, and Citizens Action Coalition have concerns about a proposed natural gas pipeline that would…