Pryor pleased at IURC decision to protect Hoosier utility users

INDIANAPOLIS – State Representative Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), the Indiana House Democratic Floor Leader, today released the following statement in response to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission's (IURC) decision to deny the joint utility petitioners' request for cost recovery of lost revenue and to extend the disconnection moratorium for utilities.

In May, ten of Indiana's gas and electric companies filed a petition seeking permission to recover lost revenue from customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The IURC has since opened an investigation to determine if the Indiana utility companies can proceed with raising utility rates for Hoosiers.

 “I sent a letter to the IURC last week, urging them to extend the utility moratorium to give already struggling Hoosiers peace of mind from losing access to their utilities,” Pryor said. “It is great news that they have decided to give people more time to figure out how to pay their bills and extended the payment plan option.

 “Indiana's utility companies aren't the only individuals that have suffered economically from this pandemic and it's not fair to penalize Hoosiers to help these companies increase their funds. I am glad that the IURC denied the lost revenue recovery part of the petition.

 “There is still a lot to be done and I will be paying close attention as this investigation progresses into phase 2.”