Ricky Junquera, ricky.junquera@sierraclub.org, 617.599.7048
FORT WAYNE, IN -- Earlier today, 20 local residents headed to Citizens Square to deliver over 1,000 petitions to Mayor Tom Henry, urging him to sign on to a letter supporting a transition to renewable energy for Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) customers. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Dennis Tyler, along with a majority of city council members in Fort Wayne, South Bend and Muncie have responded to constituent requests by signing letters asking Indiana Michigan Power to invest in renewable energy in its 20-year energy plan.
"Beacon Heights church takes seriously the biblical and faithful call to be good stewards of God's creation. We support expanding the use of renewable energy in Fort Wayne and across the state of Indiana and reducing our carbon footprint whenever and wherever possible. We appreciate Mayor Tom Henry and his administration's previous initiatives to curb the use of fossil fuels, and strongly encourage him to join with thousands of his constituents in encouraging our utility to make an affordable, rapid transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency." -The Rev. Brian Flory, Pastor, Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren
As Indiana Michigan Power engages in its 20-year planning process, the signatories are asking that I&M collaborate with the communities it serves to create plans to replace energy generated by the AEP-Rockport coal plant with clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. That 20-year plan is due to state regulators on May 1, 2019.
Within its 20-year planning process, I&M has indicated plans to end its lease on Rockport Unit 2 in 2022 and phase out Rockport Unit 1 by 2028. The signatories support the company’s decision to transition away from coal. In developing plans for replacement power, they ask that I&M:
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Replace Rockport generation with solar, wind, battery storage, and energy efficiency in a cost- effective manner.
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Improve energy efficiency programs so they serve more low- and fixed-income residents. Ensure I&M meets or exceeds energy savings goals established under the former statewide Energizing Indiana program.
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Invest in renewable energy projects that will transform abandoned spaces while bringing good jobs to our communities and improving the local tax base.
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Ensure that this current and future 20-year planning processes are transparent and accessible to all interested customers, especially the people most impacted by I&M's decisions.
“Mayor Henry should uphold the Paris Climate Agreement by joining the Pledge to Repower Indiana Sign-on Letter to support the community effort to encourage I&M to invest locally in a 100% renewable energy future.” - Becky Gonzalez, Fort Wayne Resident
These decisions would follow an announcement last year in which NIPSCO, the electricity provider in Northwest Indiana, announced plans to retire their two remaining coal plants by 2028, including the Super Polluter Schahfer plant in Wheatfield. NIPSCO found that the most affordable, reliable and least risky replacement for its coal plants is a combination of wind, solar, energy efficiency and energy storage. Just last month NIPSCO announced plans for three wind farms to replace the energy generation going offline.
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