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Northwest Indiana Ratepayer Action

END NIPSCO'S
UTILITY MONOPOLY

NIPSCO is a for-profit monopoly controlling essential services. We organize ratepayers to demand lower rates, transparency, and democratic oversight. That ends now.

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About the Campaign

Power to the
People

NIPSCO continues to raise rates while families struggle to afford heat and electricity. As a monopoly, NIPSCO faces no real competition - and ratepayers have no real voice.

The People's Defense Committee of Northwest Indiana organizes collective action through mass participation, public pressure, regulatory engagement, and democratic organizing. No one acts alone.

Get Involved Contact Us
NO TO NIPSCO
"Utilities are a public necessity, not a profit machine."
"Access to heat and electricity is a basic necessity."
Our Demands

Seven Demands for the People

By joining NO TO NIPSCO, we support the following demands:

Green protest fist
Immediate Rate Freeze
No more increases until a complete public audit is finished.
Yellow protest fist
Rate Rollbacks & Bill Credits
Undo years of unjust rate hikes with direct credits to ratepayers.
Red protest fist
End Shutoffs
No family should ever lose heat or power due to inability to pay.
White protest fist
Full Transparency
Open the books to public scrutiny. Every dollar accounted for.
Black protest fist
Democratic Oversight
Elected ratepayer council with real, binding power over utility decisions.
Brown protest fist
Public Ownership Pathway
Explore cooperative or municipal alternatives to monopoly control.
Rainbow protest fist
Access Is a Right
Heat and electricity are basic necessities, not privileges for the wealthy.
LOWER RATES NOW END SHUTOFFS POWER TO THE PEOPLE NO TO NIPSCO UTILITIES ARE A RIGHT LOWER RATES NOW END SHUTOFFS POWER TO THE PEOPLE
The Real Rate Hike Culprit

Data Centers & Energy Consumption

Understanding why your utility bills keep climbing while corporate profits soar.

The Corporate Side

  • Data centers require massive, constant electricity loads
  • Utilities expand infrastructure to meet this demand
  • Expansion costs are socialized onto residential ratepayers

What Corporations Receive

  • Tax abatements from local governments
  • Discounted industrial energy rates
  • Guaranteed returns on infrastructure investments

What Households Receive

  • Higher monthly utility bills
  • No decision-making power over expansions
  • Absorption of infrastructure upgrade costs

The Cycle

  • Utilities expand capacity for data centers
  • Ratepayers foot the bill through rate hikes
  • Corporations profit while residents struggle

"Residential customers are forced to subsidize corporate energy consumption. Your higher bill isn't just about your usage - it's about their profits."

Who We Are

The People's Housing Union

A mass organization fighting for housing and utility justice.

What It Is

  • A mass organization of tenants, homeowners, and utility ratepayers
  • Formed to collectively defend housing and utility access
  • Independent of political parties and corporate funding

How It Functions

  • Member-based structure with collective decision-making
  • Coordinated actions across neighborhoods
  • Uses solidarity, not individual complaints, as leverage

Core Actions

  • Rate-payer strike coordination
  • Collective non-payment defense
  • Public accountability campaigns
  • Mutual aid and legal defense support
Campaign History

Timeline of Exploitation & Resistance

How we got here - and how we're fighting back.

2023-2025
  • Repeated utility rate increases approved despite public opposition
  • Infrastructure "modernization" costs passed directly to ratepayers
2024-2025
  • Utility companies expand capacity planning tied to large-scale data centers
  • Increased baseline energy demand places upward pressure on residential rates
2025
  • Public oversight remains advisory only - no democratic control over utilities
  • Ratepayers absorb costs while corporate investors are guaranteed returns
2026
  • The People's Housing Union launches a campaign to take action into our own hands
  • Shift from petitions and hearings -> organized collective action by residents
Our Vision

What Democratic Control Over Utilities Looks Like

A blueprint for energy democracy and ratepayer power.

Elected Utility Oversight Councils

Directly accountable to residents with the power to:

  • Review rates, contracts, and infrastructure plans
  • Hold public hearings with binding recommendations
  • Recall delegates who don't represent community interests

Transparent Budgets

Full disclosure of all financial operations:

  • Capital projects and their true costs
  • Executive compensation and investor returns
  • Corporate energy contracts (including data centers)

Community Veto Power

Residents have direct democratic control over:

  • Major rate increases requiring voter approval
  • New industrial energy users in the service area
  • Infrastructure expansions and their financing

Public Interest First

Core principles for democratic utilities:

  • Utilities exist to provide energy, not maximize profit
  • Housing and heat treated as human needs, not commodities
  • No shutoffs for inability to pay
Our Vision

What We're Fighting For

Under NIPSCO's
Monopoly

Families struggle. Shutoffs rise. Bills climb while executives profit.

38F

With People's
Power

Affordable rates. Democratic control. Utilities that serve the community.

72F
Get Involved

Join the People's Housing Union (Rate Payers Strike)

Complete this form to join the NO TO NIPSCO campaign. All actions are collective, planned, and decided democratically.

Basic Information

Tell us a bit about yourself so we can stay in touch.

Text
Email
Phone

Ratepayer Status

Help us understand your situation with NIPSCO.

Renter
Homeowner
Senior / Fixed Income
Small Business
Electric
Gas
Both
Yes
No
Not sure

Participation & Consent

Choose how you'd like to participate in collective action.

Petitions & complaints
Public testimony
Rallies or marches
Media statements
Lawful, coordinated pressure actions
I understand no individual is required to act alone
I agree to democratic decision-making

Demands Acknowledgement

Confirm the demands you support.

Immediate Rate Freeze
Rate Rollbacks & Bill Credits
End Shutoffs
Full Transparency
Democratic Oversight
Public or Cooperative Ownership Pathway
Access to heat and electricity is a basic necessity

The People's Utility Pledge

Take the pledge and join the People's Housing Union (Rate Payers Strike).

I pledge to stand with other ratepayers in the NO TO NIPSCO campaign. I believe access to heat and electricity is a basic necessity. I commit to collective action, democratic decision-making, and mutual support.

Welcome to the Movement!

Your pledge has been received. Together, we will build a future where utilities serve the people.

Connect With Us

Contact

Reach out to get involved or learn more.

People's Housing Union

Join the Rate Payers Strike and housing justice efforts

PeoplesHousingUnion@proton.me

People's Defense Committee

Interested in joining the People's Defense Committee? Email:

PeoplesDefenseCommitteenwi@proton.me
Democratic Oversight

Ratepayer Oversight Council

A draft charter for democratic control of our utilities.

What is the Oversight Council's purpose?

Democratic oversight of utilities. The council ensures that rate decisions, infrastructure investments, and service policies reflect the needs of ratepayers, not shareholders.

Who sits on the council?

Elected ratepayer delegates only. No utility executives or lobbyists may serve. Delegates are recallable by the community they represent.

What powers does the council have?

Review rates, access company data, issue binding recommendations, hold public hearings, and trigger public ownership studies when necessary.

What principles guide the council?

One member, one vote. Full transparency in all proceedings. Recallable delegates. Complete accountability to ratepayers.

How is this campaign lawful?

NO TO NIPSCO is a lawful, collective ratepayer action using mass participation, public pressure, regulatory engagement, and democratic organizing - all protected forms of civic engagement.

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