Staff Reports
State District 44 Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, recently was reappointed to serve as co-chair of the 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force by Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville.
In 2019, House Enrolled Act 1278 established the 15-member 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force to examine and evaluate aspects of Indiana’s policies concerning electric generation portfolios, develop recommendations for the General Assembly and governor and issue a report setting forth the task force’s recommendations by Dec. 1, 2020.
The task force will:
Examine Indiana’s existing policies regulating electric generation portfolios
Examine how possible shifts in electric generation portfolios may impact the reliability, system resilience and affordability of electric utility service
Evaluate whether state regulators have the appropriate authority and statutory flexibility to consider the statewide impact of possible shifts in electric generation portfolios while still protecting ratepayer interests
The task force will then develop recommendations for the General Assembly and the governor concerning the following:
Outcomes that must be achieved in order to overcome any identified challenges concerning Indiana’s electric generation portfolios, along with timelines for achieving those outcomes
Whether existing state policy and statutes enable state regulators to properly consider the statewide impact of changing electric generation portfolios and, if not, the best approaches to enable state regulators to consider those impacts
How to maintain reliable, resilient and affordable electric service for all electric utility consumers while encouraging the adoption and deployment of advanced energy technologies
The task force is made up of eight state legislators and seven experts appointed by the governor.
Koch co-chairs the task force with Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. Other lawmakers on the task force include Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis; Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington; Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend; Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Denver; Rep. Ryan Hatfield, D-Evansville, and Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington.
District 44 includes all of Lawrence and Brown counties and parts of Bartholomew, Jackson and Monroe counties.