Coal, Utilities And Drinking Water Bills Head To The Governor

Staff Report
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Legislation dealing with coal plant closures, municipal-owned utilities, and testing drinking water cleared both chambers of the General Assembly Tuesday and are now on their way to Gov. Eric Holcomb.

House Bill 1414: Coal plant closures

What it does: HB 1414 requires the state’s utilities to notify the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission if they plan to close an energy-producing plant. It could cause the closure of coal plants until May 1, 2021, while the 21st Century Energy Task Force finishes its work. House Bill 1414 wins approval in the Senate by a close vote. Photo by Victoria Ratliff, TheStatehouseFile.com

What happened: The final version of the bill that was negotiated between the House and Senate passed both chambers Tuesday—in the House with a 55-38 vote and the Senate with a 28-21 vote.

Sen. James Merritt, R-Indianapolis, who chairs the Senate Utilities Committee, said the bill has reverted to the version that passed the House, which once again includes language that would require the IURC to only review coal plant closure plans and coal companies to stockpile coal for 90 days if approved.

“We spent a great deal of time with the bill that left the Senate,” Merritt said. “We all know the stockpile is not acceptable.” Both chambers had legislators argue that Indiana should be looking for ways to invest in clean, renewable energy and delaying coal plant closures sends the wrong message about what Indiana should stand for.

Some who argued in favor of the bill said Indiana needs to protect workers in the coal industry and the bill provides for training.

What’s next: The bill now heads to Holcomb’s desk to possibly be signed into law.

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House Bill 1165: Utilities owned by a municipality

What it does: The legislation prohibits a utility that is owned by a municipality from requiring the landlord of a property to guarantee payment of tenants’ utility bills. Those utilities have been requiring a landlord to guarantee the credit-worthiness of their tenants, putting landlords on the hook for the bills if tenants fail to pay.

What happened: The House approved the final version of HB 1165 by a 61-33 vote after Reps. Chuck Goodrich, R-Noblesville, and Bruce Borders, R-Jasonville, argued in favor of approval. Borders said it isn’t a difficult issue because a well-run municipal authority should be able to collect from its users. Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, said the bill is a “solution in search of a problem” and argued for a no vote.

What’s next: The bill now goes to Holcomb who will decide whether to sign it.

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House Bill 1265: Testing drinking water

What it does: The bill requires all schools to test drinking water to make sure there is not excess amounts of lead in it.

What happened: The House concurred with the Senate version of the bill and approved it by a 93-0 vote. Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, spoke in support of the bill, saying, “We want to make sure our children are protected.”

What’s next: The bill will head to Holcomb desk where he will decide whether to sign it into law.

FOOTNOTE: Victoria Ratliff and Haley Carney contributed to this report. They are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.