State Senator Mike Bohacek is calling for an investigation into NIPSCO over possible deceptive consumer practices tied to natural gas billing issues.
In a letter sent this week to Attorney General Todd Rokita, Bohacek requested a formal review into discrepancies affecting customers across northern Indiana.
The issue came to light after residents reported unusually high energy bills. Bohacek said he later learned that some automated gas meters were not providing accurate readings, resulting in more than 3,500 customers being billed for roughly twice the amount of gas they actually used.
“Utility rates have been increasing around the state, especially in northern Indiana, and having faulty information resulting in incorrect billing is unacceptable,” Bohacek said. “The possibility that NIPSCO knew about the meter problem and didn’t immediately disclose it to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is extremely alarming.”
Bohacek is asking the attorney general to determine whether the situation violates Indiana’s deceptive consumer sales laws, which allow courts to impose penalties on businesses that engage in misleading or unfair practices.
According to Bohacek, testimony submitted to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on March 6 indicated that customers were overcharged due to malfunctioning meter indexes.
“If NIPSCO waited to disclose this issue to the IURC, they misled their customers, which would further reduce the trust between Hoosiers and NIPSCO,” Bohacek said.
