Recently, the Interim Study Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, chaired by State Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso), held a meeting to examine utility preparedness and response following the August derecho impacting Indiana. Soliday had called for the committee to study this topic following the derecho which caused prolonged power outages in Northwest Indiana.
During the meeting, the study committee reviewed annual reports from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. They also heard from academic and industry experts on the storm response, including NIPSCO, as well as the general public and those impacted.
Lawmakers had urged the IURC to contract with an independent, third party to review preparedness and response efforts of regulated utilities and other critical responders. The IURC recently announced it opened a case to investigate the response to the derecho.
Committee members noted more needs to be done and this is just the beginning.
Soliday said: "We heard about the ongoing threats and challenges posed by severe weather, and how we can ensure Indiana is better prepared to respond to future events. I appreciate the expert testimony provided and members of the public who shared their experiences following the August derecho impacting Northwest Indiana. No Hoosier should be left without power for weeks on end and the recommendations and final reports discussed are just a few of the steps we are taking to ensure we are prepared and better equipped to handle something similar in the future."
State Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler (R-Noblesville) stated: "Hoosiers experienced significant hardships during August's storms and flooding, and the response in some areas of the state fell short of expectations. This discussion further reinforces the need for recent events to be investigated to know what happened, identify needed improvements and determine whether legislative action is necessary to strengthen future responses. Hoosiers deserve a response that is reliable, effective and ready to meet the challenges of future severe weather events."
To learn more, view the final report or watch the meeting, click here.
