Governor Braun Orders Investigation Into NIPSCO After Storm Outages

Governor Mike Braun ordered an investigation into the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) after severe storms on August 11 left over 364,000 customers without electricity. Nearly two weeks after the event, more than 10,000 residents remained without power, prompting Braun to mobilize the Indiana National Guard and teams from the State Police, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Correction to assist utility crews with debris removal.

Braun directed the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to review NIPSCO's vegetation management, right-of-way maintenance, and its use of state-approved infrastructure funding. He characterized NIPSCO as a monopoly that failed its ratepayers, stating that "Hoosiers deserve accountability."

Simultaneously, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in Porter County Superior Court by Jack Tipold and 16 other residents. The plaintiffs allege that negligent tree-trimming and vegetation management contributed to the widespread outages, causing economic losses and physical harm. NIPSCO has disputed these claims, stating that its vegetation management spending has more than doubled since 2016 and that the storms caused unprecedented damage.

NIPSCO estimates that power will be restored in Lake Station by Sunday, Munster by Monday, and Gary and Portage by Tuesday. Meanwhile, Governor Braun is seeking an expedited federal major disaster declaration for 54 counties, citing wind speeds that reached up to 99 mph.