Governor calls for investigation into power company after lengthy power outage ends in Northern Indiana
Questions arose surrounding the company's vegetation management.
As the lights begin to turn back on after two weeks without power for many Northern Indiana residents, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun urged an investigation into the region’s power company for its handling of the outages that began on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Braun directed the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to file a complaint and petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate Northern Indiana Public Service Company for its preparation and response to the power outages, which were caused by severe weather, he said in a statement on Monday.
Braun’s announcement called for the regulatory commission to look into whether the power company “adequately maintained vegetation and cleared rights-of-way to protect its infrastructure,” and whether the company used state funding approved for infrastructure and reliability improvements as promised.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company said in a statement Monday that it is aware Braun called for an investigation and that it would fully comply if one is launched.
“We are committed to transparency and cooperation in providing information regarding our operations and ongoing efforts to serve our customers safely and reliably,” the Northern Indiana Public Service Company statement said.
As of Tuesday morning, just under 2,000 outages were reported in Gary, Indiana. That is down from around 6,000 outages reported on Monday, according to Gary Mayor Eddie Melton.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company announced last week that power would be restored for nearly all of its customers by the end of the day on Tuesday.
Storms on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and severe weather in the following days knocked out power for about 374,500 customers, according to Northern Indiana Public Service Company.
In an interview with "Good Morning America," Melton said he has been pressuring Northern Indiana Public Service Company to get more help to restore power faster, but that he believes the end of the outage is within sight.
“I'm going to fight every single day to make sure that we rebound and we bring the needed resources to every single neighborhood,” Melton said.
Braun said in the announcement Monday that utility workers and state agency crews working on the ground have done an extraordinary job, but that Northern Indiana Public Service Company management has “failed to deliver adequate solutions” for Hoosiers.
"Throughout this event, our focus has remained on safely restoring service, supporting impacted communities and helping customers recover," the Northern Indiana Public Service Company statement said. "As restoration efforts continue, our crews, contractors and partners remain committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible for every customer affected by this historic storm."
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