Atterholt wants job back on state utility board
Gov. Mike Pence’s chief of staff, who will lose his position when Pence leaves office on Monday, is seeking to return to the five-member state commission that oversees utilities.
Energy & Environment
Articles
Pence extends minimum energy standards for buildings
The outgoing governor was set to let the rules expire on Jan. 1. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman says new outdoor stage rules are also in the works.
IPL seeks rate hike that could add $10 per month to typical home bill
The utility says the increase, which would go into effect by the end of 2017, would be used to build one of the “cleanest, most efficient natural gas plants ever to be built in Indiana.”
Pence could leave state with no energy standards for buildings
Critics say the absence of standards could have negative results for Hoosiers’ energy bills and lead to a “slumlord’s dream” scenario.
IUPUI awarded $1.5M to help manufacturers find energy savings
The school’s program already has recommended $11 million in savings for more than 75 companies since 2011.
U.S. gas prices jump 6 cents over two weeks
The hike mostly results from an agreement Nov. 30 by major oil-producing countries to slash output.
Central Indiana power plant suffers second worker death this year
Coroner Annette Rohlman says the death Monday afternoon at the Eagle Valley Generating Station is being investigated as an accident.
Bicentennial trust preserves more than 11,000 Indiana acres
The program works to acquire land for conservation and recreation. It honors the establishment of the state park system, which was created in 1916 to commemorate Indiana's centennial.
UPDATE: Forest Alliance sues to stop Crown Hill cemetery project
The controversy over the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ plans to develop a military cemetery on 15 wooded acres north of Crown Hill Cemetery has ended up in court.
Brehob Nursery sells to out-of-state conglomerate
Brehob, founded in 1969 and employing about 170 workers for most of year, will move its corporate offices from the south side of Indianapolis to Westfield.
Vectren plans to retire most coal-burning units, shift mix of power sources
In the latest move by an Indiana utility to reduce its use of coal, the Evansville-based utility plans to build a solar farm and substantially increase the use of natural gas as a fuel source.
Companies plan $100M recycling center in Indiana, 256 jobs
Construction at the site, which will include a recycling center and a plastics-to-diesel facility, is expected to begin in 2017.
Indiana utility watchdog Stippler set to retire
David Stippler, Indiana’s official advocate for utility customers, who often pushes back against utilities that want to raise rates, plans to retire Jan. 1 after 11 years in office.
Purdue keeping tons of lab gloves from landfills
What happens to a laboratory glove after a doctor, nurse or lab worker snaps it off and throws it in the bin? Usually, it goes to a landfill, but Purdue and partners are working to change that.
IPL battery installation sparks tiff with MISO
A dispute has broken out over the financial terms under which IPL connects its new, $25 million, energy-storage system to the grid.
Electric cars slow to catch on among Hoosiers
Through August, only about 1.7 percent of the 170,000 new cars registered in Indiana this year were gas-electric hybrids.
EPA proposes expanded use of Dow Agro-made herbicide
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed more than doubling the number of states allowed to use a new version of a popular weed killer on genetically modified crops despite its earlier concerns.
Low fuel prices tank Allison’s hybrid-transmission line
Allison’s hybrid bus transmission sales have tanked, and the company says it’s postponing production of hybrid truck transmissions until market conditions improve.
Animal group shutting its doors next month, placing critters in new homes
The area not-for-profit organization says its bookings for educational programs have slowed considerably this year, and it’s closing down rather than operate at a loss.
RCA firm grows with LED popularity
For decades, the RCA brand has been associated with televisions and other consumer electronics. But it’s LED lighting that’s helping fuel growth for Indianapolis-based RCA Commercial Electronics.