CEAC-2020-04-April

Indiana’s Senate Utilities Committee voted 8-2 on Thursday, Feb. 27, to approve an altered version of a bill that consumer and environmental groups argue
could hamper growth in the renewable energy sector by impeding the closure of coal-fired power plants. (DroneBase via AP)
Republican Rep. Bruce Borders of Jasonville said coal is a
primary reason Indiana — which currently gets 70 percent
of its electricity from coal-burning plants — has affordable
electricity.
“I think we’re foolish to treat coal as something whose day
has come and gone,” he said.
Several groups which have previously spoke in opposition to
the bill — including the consumer advocacy group Citizens
Action Coalition, the Indiana Industrial Energy Consumers
group, the Sierra Club and the Hoosier Environmental Council
— said they support the amendments which diluted the
legislation.
Jesse Kharbanda, executive director of the Hoosier Environmental
Council, said he appreciated efforts to reduce the
harm of the original bill, but noted that there remained a
risk that it could revert to earlier versions in the remaining
weeks of the legislative session.
“We empathize with those lawmakers concerned about the
transition from coal-to-clean energy: We think that managing
that transition would be better served by Indiana
lawmakers getting briefed by their counterparts in Iowa, as
Iowa gets nearly 40 percent electricity from renewables and
has lower electricity costs and sound reliability,” he said.
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