The 2026 session is a "short" session, meaning the session must adjourn no later than March 14th, although due to the early start of the session, Statehouse leadership has announced their intent to adjourn the session on February 27th. 

The affordability crisis facing Hoosier consumers and the AI Data Center invasion is largely driving the conversation around energy and utilities in this session of the Indiana General Assembly.

2026 Highlighted Bills CAC Opposes

Senate Bill 258 silences Hoosier voices by revoking the authority of the IDEM Commissioner (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) to conduct public hearings about the environmental effects of the operations of proposed nuclear reactors. SB258 also reduces state oversight of nuclear facilities by removing the current authority of IDEM to adopt rules and standards to protect Hoosier communities and residents from the hazards of radiation, and to issue permits related to those rules and standards. Sadly, state legislators passed SB258, and Gov. Braun signed SB258 into law on 2/17/26.

Senate Bill 277 significantly weakens environmental protections in Indiana by making IDEM's essential responsibilities discretionary. A recent amendment made the bill even worse by creating a narrow definition of PFAS (forever chemicals) that ignores some of the most toxic chemicals found in our water and wildlife. SB277 prioritizes special interests over protecting our air, water, and public health.

SB277 originally had the same language in it as SB258, but that language was removed after SB258 was passed. Taken together, SB258 & SB277 are the wrong direction for Indiana, especially right now. State politicians have spent the past few years paving the way for risky and expensive Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs). They have passed a series of bills that force utility customers to pick up the enormous financial cost and risk required to develop SMRs. SB258 & SB277, which further deregulate Indiana's already weak environmental oversight, will force Hoosiers to also pick up the tab for the environmental and public health risks associated with nuclear power.

Weakening environmental regulation and reducing the state’s ability to regulate nuclear power plants and radioactive waste at the same time politicians want to begin nuclear power generation puts Hoosier communities at risk. 

Please use the form on this page to tell your state legislators to reject SB277!  

2026 Highlighted Bill CAC Supports

Thanks to plenty of public pressure over the past year, legislators are finally working to address the utility affordability crisis during the 2026 Indiana General Assembly legislative session with House Bill 1002. Although there is still lots of work to be done in future sessions, HB1002 is a good start at addressing some of the harmful effects unaffordable utility bills cause for vulnerable Hoosiers. We are pleased to see that state legislators passed HB1002 and sent it to Gov. Braun's desk. Please use the form on this page to urge Gov. Braun to sign HB1002!

House Bill 1002 does the following:

• Reforms the rate case process by requiring that the electric utilities file three-year Multi-Year Rate Plans. CAC would like to see this provision strengthened by removing trackers like TDSIC and CWIP from state law, because they should no longer be needed under this provision. At a minimum, the legislation should specify that trackers should be treated the same way they currently get treated in base rate cases - they get absorbed into base rates, zeroed out, and reset.

• Holds the utilities accountable through Performance Based Ratemaking. PBR allows the IURC to reward or penalize the utilities with small increases or decreases in their profit based on their performance around affordability and reliability.

• Requires the utilities to report customer data on a quarterly basis, including items like customer arrears, number of disconnects, number of disconnect notices, etc. - something CAC has been working on for decades.

• Requires the electric utilities to provide assistance to low-income qualified households. This is another thing CAC has been working on for decades, and the inclusion of this language is a big win. The bill currently leaves the design of these programs up to each individual utility, which we are working to improve. CAC strongly believes that the IURC, in concert with stakeholders, should take the lead on designing the programs. We need to be vigilant to make sure this language does not get removed or weakened.

• Creates a summer disconnection moratorium for low-income qualified households - yet another thing CAC has been working on for many years. The bill as introduced allowed for a moratorium only when an “extreme heat warning” was issued by the National Weather Service. The House Utilities Committee amended it to a moratorium for low-income qualified households from June 1st through September 23rd. The House then amended it to a temperature-based moratorium. We greatly prefer a month-based moratorium which would be consistent with our winter moratorium, and will continue working to improve this language.

• The mandate for all ratepayers to be placed on “levelized billing," more commonly known as "budget billing," was removed in the Senate Utilities Committee. CAC does not support this mandate and will remain vigilant to work toward an end product that does not have this mandate in it.

As always, CAC will continue working tirelessly and diligently on policies designed to hold monopoly utilities accountable and speed Indiana's transition away from dangerous, dirty, and expensive fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

We remain committed to fighting for affordable utility bills with an eye towards vulnerable populations and moving policies that empower consumers to have more control over their energy costs, like community solar and customer-owned generation. Additionally, CAC will keep a watchful eye on legislative proposals that will have an impact on our environment, natural resources, water availability and quality, and our democracy.