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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCitizens Action Coalition takes issue with Nate Feltman’s characterization of the LEAP Lebanon Innovation District [“Nate Feltman: Don’t politicize investments in economic development,” Oct. 13].
First, the development foreseen is hardly shovel-ready. There’s no water, and Citizens Energy pulled out because negotiations with the Indiana Economic Development Corp., which plans to pay for the pipeline infrastructure from Indy to Lebanon with hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, broke down. We can only surmise it has to do with money.
Citizens, to its credit, reiterated numerous times in a recent filing with state utility regulators to enable pipeline construction that it would not proceed if its ratepayers were stuck with the tab.
Second, the proposed water pipelines from Lafayette to Lebanon has a purported price tag of $2 billion, which will be spent to eventually transfer tens of billions of gallons of water annually out of the Wabash watershed.
Third, if anyone has politicized this issue, it’s the IEDC. The privatized agency withheld information from the public for some time. Now it faces justified backlash.
Fourth, it appears the only option is for IEDC to turn to water and wastewater ratepayers. Ratepayers of Indiana-American and other utilities should hold onto their wallets.
Finally, it’s obvious that there’s no sound state water policy.
—Kerwin Olson
Executive director, Citizens Action Coalition
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