Bill > SB0427

This bill expands oversight of water and wastewater utilities that are not currently under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) by creating a new regulatory framework for utilities with environmental enforcement orders. Under the bill, water or wastewater utilities that receive one or more enforcement orders from the Department of Environmental Management will be subject to increasing levels of regulatory scrutiny. For the first enforcement order, the IURC will conduct an informal review of the utility's rates and charges and assess its asset management program, with a specific provision delaying such review for water utilities by 12 months. If a second enforcement order is issued within two years for the same type of service, the utility must undergo a base rate case and become subject to IURC rate approval for at least five years. If additional enforcement orders are issued during this period, the IURC may initiate a receivership proceeding. The bill also amends existing statutes to clarify the process by which utilities can withdraw from IURC jurisdiction, specifically preventing utilities with multiple enforcement orders from seeking withdrawal during the rate regulation period. The goal of these provisions is to ensure that utilities with repeated environmental compliance issues are held to higher standards of financial and operational oversight.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/427/details