Eliminates eminent domain authority for the following purposes: (1) Acquiring a right-of-way for the construction or operation of a pipeline for transporting carbon dioxide or other carbon oxides. (2) Acquiring underground strata for a well or monitoring facility for underground storage of carbon dioxide or other carbon oxides. (3) A carbon sequestration pilot project or other underground carbon dioxide or other carbon oxides storage project.
Requires the Indiana utility regulatory commission (commission) to adopt rules governing community energy facilities not later than July 1, 2028. Provides that, not later than 180 days after adoption of the rules, an electricity supplier shall begin: (1) allowing interconnection of the electricity supplier's facilities with community energy facilities with which at least three of the electricity supplier's customers have entered into a subscription; and (2) crediting the electricity supplier's subscribing customers for the amount of electricity from the community energy facility to which the customer subscribes. Requires the commission to: (1) establish an interconnection working group composed of representatives of electricity suppliers and other stakeholders with respect to electric utility service; and (2) implement the working group's recommendations regarding creation, revision, or elimination of policies, processes, tariffs, rules, or standards relating to the interconnection of community energy facilities and electricity suppliers as necessary for transparent, accurate, and efficient implementation of community energy facilities. Prohibits an investor owned utility from: (1) owning a community energy facility; or (2) offering incentive programs to community energy facilities.
Specifies that an application for a carbon dioxide transmission pipeline certificate of authority must include: (1) a risk assessment; and (2) a carbon dioxide injection estimate. Provides that when determining compensation in certain eminent domain proceedings, the perceived risk of certain hazardous conditions must be taken into account. Establishes a carbon sequestration pilot project fee program, and specifies certain conditions in relation to the fee money. Provides that a transfer of ownership in regard to a carbon sequestration pilot project does not relieve a prior operator from liability for any negligence or willful misconduct that occurred before the transfer. Requires the department of natural resources to inspect a carbon sequestration pilot project. Alters the threshold of consent one must obtain in order to use eminent domain or integration in relation to carbon sequestration.
Makes the following changes to the Indiana Code chapter concerning the issuance of permits for nuclear powered generating facilities and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants (facilities) by the department of environmental management (department): (1) Repeals a provision that prohibits a person from constructing or operating, or increasing the capacity of, a facility without a permit from the department. (2) Repeals a provision authorizing the environmental rules board (board) to adopt rules establishing: (A) conditions for the issuance of a permit for; and (B) requirements for the operation of; a facility. (3) Requires a person proposing to construct a facility to file with the department (instead of the board, under current law) an environmental feasibility report concurrently with the filing of documents (instead of the preliminary safety analysis, under current law) required to be filed with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (instead of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, under current law). (4) Repeals a provision authorizing the commissioner of the department to conduct a public hearing on the environmental effects of the proposed operation of a facility. (5) Repeals a provision: (A) requiring the board to adopt rules and standards to protect Indiana citizens from radiation hazards; and (B) setting forth requirements for required permits with respect to radioactive discharge.
Requires an electricity supplier, other than a municipally owned utility, that is under the jurisdiction of the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) to do the following: (1) Beginning with the first monthly billing cycle that begins after June 30, 2026, apply a levelized billing plan (plan) to all active residential customer accounts: (A) for service provided under the electricity supplier's standard residential tariff to a household that is eligible for and has applied for assistance from the state's home energy assistance program; and (B) to which a plan does not already apply. (2) Not later than April 1, 2026, offer each customer a mechanism by which the customer may opt out of a plan at any time without penalty. (3) Not later than July 1, 2026, for any plan offered by the electricity supplier and applied to an active customer account, amend or design the plan so that plan's account reconciliation mechanism is applied at such times during a calendar year to reflect typical seasonal patterns of electricity usage by residential customers, but not more than two times during a calendar year. Prohibits an electricity supplier from referring to or promoting a levelized billing plan as a "budget billing plan" unless the levelized billing plan also provides other specified forms of relief for customers. Authorizes the IURC to adopt rules to implement these provisions. Amends existing law granting the IURC the authority to take certain actions with respect to the rates and services of public utilities during emergency circumstances, as judged by the IURC, to provide instead that the IURC may recommend that the governor declare a disaster emergency or proclaim a state of energy emergency during which the IURC may take such actions. Specifies that the emergency must result from: (1) a national economic depression; (2) an act of war; or (3) a disaster of unprecedented size and destructiveness. Provides that an electric utility, other than a municipally owned utility, may not terminate residential electric service to a customer on any day with respect to which the National Weather Service has forecast, not earlier than 48 hours in advance, a heat index of at least 95 degrees for the location where the customer receives service. Requires an electricity supplier, other than a municipally owned utility, that is under the jurisdiction of the IURC for the approval of rates and charges to report to the office of utility consumer counselor (OUCC) on a quarterly basis certain data concerning residential customer accounts. Requires the OUCC to annually compile and summarize the information contained in the reports and include the summary in the OUCC's annual report to the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications. Provides that an investor owned electricity supplier that is under the jurisdiction of the IURC for the approval of rates and charges must petition the IURC for approval of any change in its basic rates and charges through the submission of a three-year multi-year rate plan (MYRP). Beginning in 2026, requires each electricity supplier to file its first petition with the IURC for approval of an MYRP according to a prescribed schedule. Provides that the base rates for the first rate year of an MYRP shall be established by the IURC in the same manner that base rates would be established in a proceeding for a change in basic rates and charges that occurs outside an MYRP. Specifies that in a petition to the IURC for a multi-year plan, an electricity supplier must include certain information in its case in chief. Provides that for each rate year in an electricity supplier's MYRP, the following apply: (1) A customer affordability performance metric and an associated performance incentive mechanism (PIM) that: (A) is based on the electricity supplier's performance in meeting the customer affordability performance metric; and (B) provides financial rewards or penalties to the electricity supplier based on that performance. (2) A service restoration performance metric and an associated PIM that: (A) is based on the electricity supplier's performance in meeting the service restoration performance metric; and (B) provides financial rewards or penalties to the electricity supplier based on that performance. Sets forth the methods by which the IURC must calculate the prescribed performance metrics and determine the associated PIMs. Sets forth specified findings the IURC must make in approving an electricity supplier's MYRP. Provides that at any time before the expiration of an electricity supplier's approved MYRP, the IURC may, upon its own motion, or at the request of the OUCC or the electricity supplier: (1) examine the electricity supplier's rates under the MYRP; (2) conduct periodic reviews with opportunities for public hearings and comments; and (3) adjust the base rates or PIMs under the MYRP. Beginning in 2029, requires the IURC to include in its annual report certain information about: (1) the status of electricity suppliers' MYRP filings and current MYRPs; (2) electricity suppliers' calculated performance metrics for the current rate year; and (3) the impact of all applicable PIMs on customer rates. Requires the IURC to adopt rules to implement these provisions. Requires an electricity supplier, other than a municipally owned utility, that is under the jurisdiction of the IURC to offer, not later than July 1, 2026, a low income customer assistance program (program) that provides financial assistance to low income residential customers for the payment of monthly bills for utility service. Requires an electricity supplier to annually fund its program in an amount equal to: (1) at least 0.2% of the electricity supplier's jurisdictional revenues for residential customers; plus (2) any contributions from governmental agencies or programs or from other third parties. Provides that if a customer who applies for assistance is eligible for assistance under the program, the electricity supplier shall enroll the customer in the program. Provides that an electricity supplier may, but is not required to, petition the IURC for approval to recover eligible program costs. Provides that "eligible program costs" do not include costs recovered by the electricity supplier through contributions that are provided at no cost to the electricity supplier. Beginning in 2027, requires the IURC to include each year in its annual report specified information concerning each electricity supplier's program with respect to the most recently concluded state fiscal year. Requires the IURC to adopt rules to implement these provisions.
Provides that affordability is the most important attribute of electric utility service that must be considered in decisions concerning Indiana's electric generation resource mix, energy infrastructure, and electric service ratemaking constructs. Provides the following with regard to a public electric or gas utility's transmission, distribution, and storage system improvement charge (TDSIC) plan: (1) The public utility's petition for Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) approval of the TDSIC plan must include an executive summary that provides specified information. (2) The public utility and the IURC shall publish the TDSIC plan, and each annual update to the TDSIC plan, on the public utility's and IURC's respective websites. (3) Provides that the public utility shall recover the deferred 20% of the public utility's approved capital expenditures and TDSIC costs under the TDSIC plan only upon the public utility's completion of the eligible transmission, distribution, and storage system improvements included in the TDSIC plan.
Provides that a homeowners association's governing documents may not include a covenant, policy, or similar measure that: (1) prohibits or restricts the use of; (2) distinguishes between types of; or (3) results in differing standards for different types of; motor vehicles or outdoor equipment based on the fuel source that powers the motor vehicle or outdoor equipment. Provides that a homeowners association's governing documents may not include a covenant, policy, or similar measure that prohibits the display of an American flag.Prohibits a homeowners association from installing, maintaining, or operating an automated license plate reader (ALPR), and prohibits a homeowners association from permitting the installation, maintenance, or operation of an ALPR on the property of the homeowners association unless the ALPR is installed by a law enforcement agency and only the law enforcement agency has access to the ALPR data.Prohibits a county or municipality from adopting or enforcing a utility usage data ordinance. Prohibits a county, municipality, or township from adopting or enforcing an ordinance, order, regulation, resolution, policy, or similar measure that: (1) prohibits or restricts the use, sale, or lease of; (2) distinguishes between types of; or (3) results in differing regulatory standards for different types of; motor vehicles or machines other than vehicles, including outdoor equipment, based on the fuel source that powers the motor vehicle or machine. Requires political subdivisions located within five miles of the end of a runway of a publicly owned, public use airport to adopt an airspace overlay zoning ordinance.
Provides that after December 31, 2025, a permit authority may not establish in a unit a zoning overlay district in which one or more commercial solar energy projects (CSE projects) will be located unless each underlying zoning district across which the proposed overlay district will extend is zoned for a use that, under the unit's existing zoning ordinance at the time the overlay district is proposed, permits the location of a CSE project within that underlying district. Provides that if one or more underlying zoning districts across which the proposed overlay district will extend is not zoned for a use that permits the location of a CSE project within that underlying district, each such underlying zoning district, or part of the zoning district, must be rezoned for a use that permits the location of a CSE project within all or part of the underlying zoning district.
Defines a "plug-in solar power system" as a moveable photovoltaic generation device that: (1) has a maximum power output of not more than 1,200 watts; (2) is designed to be connected to a building's electrical system through a standard outlet; and (3) is intended primarily to offset part of the electricity consumption in the building in which it is used. Provides that electricity generated by a plug-in solar power system is not subject to the Indiana statute concerning distributed generation. Provides that a plug-in solar power system is exempt from the Indiana utility regulatory commission's rules concerning customer-generator interconnection standards. Requires a plug-in solar power system to include a functionality or feature that: (1) is activated during a loss of electrical power to the building in which the plug-in solar power system is used; and (2) prevents the plug-in solar power system from energizing the building's electrical system during the electrical outage. Prohibits an electricity supplier from requiring a customer to do any of the following with respect to the installation or use of a plug-in solar power system that meets certain requirements: (1) Obtain the electricity supplier's approval for the installation or use. (2) Pay any fee or charge related to the installation or use. (3) Install any additional controls or equipment in connection with the installation or use. Provides that an electricity supplier is not liable for any injury or damages caused by a customer's installation or use of a plug-in solar power system.
Provides that electricity generated by a plug-in home solar unit is exempt from Indiana law regarding distributed generation. Prohibits an electricity supplier from requiring a customer to: (1) obtain the electricity supplier's approval before installing or using; (2) pay any fee or charge related to the customer's use of; (3) make modifications to; or (4) install additional equipment as a result of the customer's installation or use of; a plug-in home solar unit that meets specified requirements. Requires a plug-in home solar unit to incorporate functionality that, in the event of a power outage, disconnects the plug-in home solar unit from the electrical system of the building to which the plug-in home solar unit is connected. Provides that an electricity supplier is not liable for any injury or damages caused to a customer by a plug-in home solar unit.
