Governor calls for NIPSCO investigation as Northwest Indiana towns out of power after 2 weeks

Gov. Mike Braun on Monday directed Indiana‘s utility watchdog to seek a formal investigation into NIPSCO.

The request cites the company’s tree-trimming and vegetation management, maintenance of right-aways and use of ratepayer funds after historic Northwest Indiana power outages.

An estimated 10,000 Indiana residents still remained without power early Monday, nearly two weeks after severe storms tore through the region. Gary was among the hardest hit cities. The utility reports it has restored 364,824 customers since Aug. 11 when storms and violent winds hit the region that day.

NIPSCO expects power to be restored in Munster and Lake Station by the end of Monday, and in Gary and Portage by the end of Tuesday.

Braun’s office said the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor will file a complaint and petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to examine whether NIPSCO adequately maintained vegetation and right-aways, and whether funding regulators approved for reliability improvements was spent as promised.

“NIPSCO is a monopoly utility that Hoosiers pay every month with the expectation that it will use its considerable resources to maintain its system, prepare for severe weather and restore service as quickly as possible when disaster strikes. NIPSCO has failed to keep its end of the bargain,” Braun said in a statement.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton has pushed NIPSCO for more transparency throughout the outages.

“I had to demand that NIPSCO provide more accurate restoration times specifically for Gary because the information that was shared was omitting Gary,” Melton told WFYI in an interview Thursday.

U.S. Rep. André Carson tied the outages to years of rising bills in a social media post Monday.

“Their electricity bills have been going up for the last two years — while their utility company rakes in huge profits,” Carson said.