14 not-for-profit groups have joined forces to battle high utility bills in southwest Indiana. WNIN’s John Gibson has the update:
The Energy for All Coalition is challenging CenterPoint Energy to “immediately alleviate” what the group calls the company’s exorbitant rates.
During a Zoom conference with the news media, Amy Devries of Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment – or CAJE – said the issue will be part of the group’s annual call for action:
"May 9th is our Nehemiah Action. We're expecting over 1,400 concerned citizens, perhaps more now that this coalition's been announced."
The coalition also wants more transparency on the utility’s billing process and to abandon proposed natural gas-fueled plants.
Wendy Bredhold of the Sierra Club says CenterPoint’s gas plant proposal is before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission:
"So of course, what we hope is that the gas plant will be rejected and they'll have to go back to the drawing board as they did when their gas plant was rejected in 2019."
Coalition members say even as heating bills decrease in the spring, many people still owe large amounts from the winter, and bills will likely surge during the summer cooling season.
CenterPoint has paused customer disconnections through May.
Note: CenterPoint is a financial supporter of WNIN.