Indiana Conservation Voters Testimony on House Bill 1002
On Jan. 13, 2026, Indiana Conservation Voters Director of Government Affairs Delaney Barber Kwon delivered testimony on House Bill 1002 in the House House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee. Below is the full text of her testimony as prepared for delivery.
“Chairman Soliday, Representative Shonkwiler, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Delaney Barber Kwon, and I am the Government Affairs Director for Indiana Conservation Voters.
“Indiana Conservation Voters is currently neutral on HB 1002. I want to begin by thanking Representative Shonkwiler for her work and open dialogue on this bill. Her intent to address energy affordability is clear with her work on HB 1002, and we are glad to see this issue discussed and being brought before the committee. Along with Citizens Action Coalition, we released a Ratepayer Relief Plan last year that includes several of the components of HB 1002 aimed at helping Hoosiers pay their bills.
“There are some areas of concern in HB 1002 we feel need further clarification in order for intent to match implementation in a compressed timeframe.
“Beginning with the summer shutoff protections listed in Section 3, establishing shutoff protections during extreme heat warnings would be difficult to implement, given utility response times, disconnection fees and extreme heat warnings typically defined as over 105 degrees Fahrenheit for a sustained period of time around two-plus days, which rarely occurs. Time-bound shutoffs using the best available data to determine the time frame of high heat days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit would address safety concerns and ensure refrigerators stay running for food and medical safety, such as insulin storage.
“Another point of interest in the bill is Section 6, the low-income customer assistance program. What role does the IURC [Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission] have to play in guidance and design of the program and should utilities be given full control over that design? Should it be a tiered low-income discount rate or another method of assistance to qualifying customers? Further clarification in the bill or direction for IURC rulemaking and guidance would help strike that balance between utilities and ratepayers.
“Lastly, Section 5 pertaining to PBR [performance-based ratemaking] and multi-year rate plans incites similar questions on the commission’s potential involvement and guidance in the PIMs [performance incentive mechanisms] and if there will be a consideration of a mechanism to deal with potential over-earnings in the MYRP [multi-year rate plan]. However, we defer to regular intervenors at the commission on this subject matter.
“As HB 1002 currently reads, we hope the bill will undergo changes from stakeholder feedback in order to strike a balance and ensure ratepayers see the relief they have requested. Thank you and happy to answer any questions.”
Delaney Barber Kwon
Director of Government Affairs
Indiana Conservation Voters
