Indiana and CenterPoint Energy: Stop the Boondoggle Now!

CAJE is committed to ensure that all households have access to clean, sustainable, and affordable energy. CAJE leaders explain our opposition to current plans for building new electricity-generating plants in southwest Indiana.

CenterPoint Energy (CEI) is currently conducting its periodic Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) for future electrical generation. The IRP analyzes current and possible electrical generation scenarios to guide the future investments made by the utility. This process is extremely important because CenterPoint customers pay the highest energy rates in the state of Indiana.

CEI has been given the green light to build two gas, electrical-generation peaking plants and construction will proceed if approval is given for an accompanying gas pipeline. The total cost of this project is nearly $1 billion, and the ratepayer will pay for this investment over 20 years.

We argue that equally reliable and less costly alternatives (a combination of efficiency and electrical storage) are on the horizon that will make these plants economically uncompetitive, possibly even from the start of their service. CEI ratepayers will be on the hook for this bad investment decision and will continue to pay elevated rates because of it. CEI still can choose not to build them and save the ratepayers from a costly boondoggle. CEI must include and evaluate these plants as part of their IRP process as they do for all their electrical generation. If that process leads to projected less costly alternatives, then these plants must not be built.

Thousands in our community are suffering because of exorbitant energy costs due in part to the practices of a monopoly that places profits over people. This is the responsibility of our state elected leaders. Ultimately, there must be energy reform across the state of Indiana. If our communities are going to thrive, we must have a better energy future! We demand that legislators take immediate action.

Vicki White, Cleaves Memorial Baptist Church
Jerome Echele, All Saints Catholic Parish
Tom Bogenschutz, All Saints Catholic Parish