Pryor says she is “shocked and delighted” at denial of BlueIndy rate increase

STATEHOUSE – State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) today issued the following statement after the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) denied a $12.3 million rate increase requested by the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) to help pay for the city’s new BlueIndy electric car-sharing program:

“I must say that I am shocked at today’s news, but this is the best kind of surprise.

“I applaud the IURC for listening to the concerns of people across the IPL service area. Today’s news shows that they will listen when the cause is just.

“And this cause was just. It is not right to ask customers across a 10-county service area in central Indiana to pay for a privately-funded program that only will benefit a very few customers in one of those counties.

“The truth of the matter is that it never should have reached this point. The mayor of Indianapolis should have worked with the private company to find a way of funding this proposal without demanding participation from all IPL customers. Perhaps now they will go back and do what they should have done all along.

“But I am particularly pleased that the IURC recognized the long-term implications if this request had been approved.

“As we learned today, cities do not have the right to impose a tax on utility customers to fund private projects that do not benefit all utility customers.

“Once again, taxation without representation did not stand.”