Here are the 5 people who will decide if your CenterPoint bill goes up again
EVANSVILLE – Local politicians and hordes of angry citizens alike will weigh in on yet another proposed increase in CenterPoint’s rates this week. But the fate of those hikes ultimately rests with five people.
The decision will come down to the members of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. All are unelected officials appointed by Indiana governors over the years.
Some have been on the commission for just a few months, while one – David Ziegner – has served in the role for 34 years. All have voted in favor of CenterPoint increases in the past.
Citizens can voice their thoughts on the latest proposed increase during two public hearings Thursday at Old National Events Plaza. The first kicks off at 2 p.m., with another following at 6 p.m. The IURC's decision won't come until later this year.
Here’s some info on each of the commissioners, taken from their official bios as well as newspaper archives and public records.
Jim Huston, chairman
Huston landed on the IURC in 2014, after spending decades bouncing from one political job to another. In the 1980s, he worked in Gov. Robert Orr’s administration, moving up to become deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
In 1995, he segued into more overtly political work, serving as district director for then-U.S. Rep David McIntosh.
McIntosh would go on to co-found The Federalist Society, a conservative law organization that has compared climate change regulations to an “inquisition” against fossil fuel companies. Huston also worked for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita when the latter was a U.S. representative.
He's voted in favor of several CenterPoint bumps, including CenterPoint's request to increase natural gas bills in 2021.
Wesley R. Bennett
Bennett is the newest member of the IURC, joining in May 2023. And about seven months after being appointed, he voted for a CenterPoint increase.
That December, he was part of a unanimous decision by the IURC to allow CenterPoint to request incremental rate increases on customers every six months as part of a five-year infrastructure update plan.
He previously worked as commissioner of Indiana’s Department of Local Government Finance. Before that, he served as Plainfield’s clerk-treasurer for 12 years.
Sarah Freeman
Like others on the commission, Freeman – a Tell City native – has a long history in state government.
Before former Gov. Mike Pence appointed her in 2016, she served as an Indiana deputy attorney general during Gov. Frank O’Bannon’s administration. She then became a senior staff attorney with the Indiana Legislative Services Agency, a wing of government that helps draft state legislation, among other duties.
Freeman has voted in favor of multiple CenterPoint increases since assuming her commissioner’s role.
She was part of a unanimous decision to approve CenterPoint’s infrastructure update in December, and in 2022 she and the rest of the commission gave the green light to CenterPoint’s $334 million plan to replace the coal-burning units at the A.B. Brown facility with natural gas combustion turbines. The cost of the project is being passed on to ratepayers.
Like Huston, she also voted in favor of the last natural gas rate hike in 2021.
David Veleta
Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Veleta to the IURC in 2022, but he’s actually been around the commission much longer.
Since at least 2009, Veleta worked as the commission’s senior administrative law judge: a position that hears the evidence in every case that lands on the docket. Before that, he worked with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and in private practice.
Like the others, he voted in favor of CenterPoint’s infrastructure plan in December.
Christopher Norrick, a local activist with Direct Action Against CenterPoint Energy, interviewed for a seat on the commission around the same time as Veleta, but was passed over.
David Ziegner
The longest-serving commissioner, Ziegner joined after former Gov. Evan Bayh appointed him back in 1990.
He’s been tied to several national energy organizations, including New Mexico State University’s Advisory Council of the Center for Public Utilities. Last year, he traveled to their conference in Santa Fe to take part in a discussion on the “nexus” of infrastructure issues and how updates ultimately fall on the backs of consumers.
“What are utilities, regulators, and consumer advocates doing now to ensure that service is affordable, not only for low-income customers, but for everyone?” the brochure reads.
The Courier & Press couldn’t find an online record of Ziegner’s remarks during the conference. Like Freeman, he previously worked for Indiana’s Legislative Services Agency. He also served as commission’s legal counsel before making the jump to commissioner.
He’s voted in favor of several CenterPoint increases in the past, including the last official leap in electrical base rates in 2011.
Back in 1997, he was part of a unanimous IURC decision to hike natural gas rates in Evansville by 60%, Courier & Press archives state.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Who is on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission?
