High Indiana electric rates fuel scrutiny of utility CEO pay
By Joe Ulery • Indiana News Service
High electric rates in Indiana are putting utility profits and executive pay under scrutiny.
CenterPoint Energy reported more than $1 billion in companywide profit in 2025 and about $12 million in total compensation for its parent company’s CEO.
Ben Inskeep, program director for the Citizens Action Coalition, wants closer scrutiny of executive salaries as electric bills continue to rise.
“At the end of the day, ratepayers are paying those costs. So I think at a time when we’re facing an affordability crisis across Indiana, those types of costs need to be further scrutinized,” Inskeep stressed.
The financial figures cover CenterPoint’s multistate business, not just Indiana. CenterPoint said its executive pay programs help attract qualified leaders and reward financial performance, safety and customer service. Indiana regulators approved an $80 million annual electric rate increase for CenterPoint in 2025. The state’s consumer counselor supported a smaller increase, primarily for previously approved infrastructure improvements.
Christopher Norrick, volunteer organizer for the group Direct Action Against CenterPoint Energy, said high bills are forcing southwestern Indiana households to make difficult choices.
“Electricity and heat are not supposed to be luxury items. We have entered that territory. We’ve got folks who literally cannot pay their electricity bill, or they’re making very hard choices between basic needs, food, medicine and keeping their home reasonably comfortable,” Norrick explained.
Norrick noted his group submitted 333 signatures seeking the governor’s support for another rate review. Inskeep wants lawmakers to limit executive compensation charged to customers. Both urged Hoosiers to tell lawmakers how utility costs affect their budgets.
