Mother and Son Cooking

Indianapolis, Indiana – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) Midwest Executive Director Chris Ventura released the following statement of support for Indiana House Bill 1191, introduced by Representatives Jim Pressel, Ethan Manning and Edmond Soliday which will prevent municipal bans on the delivery of natural gas to existing and new homes and businesses.

“CEA applauds this proactive piece of legislation since it will help protect Indiana’s families, local businesses, and manufacturers by ensuring access to affordable, reliable natural gas which has helped to lower energy costs while reducing our environmental footprint. Hoosiers should be able to rest easy knowing that in their state they can rely on natural gas and propane to heat their homes and fuel their businesses.”

“The trend we have seen in some states across the country to ban natural gas connections and fossil fuel service through building code mandates is ill-conceived and risks disrupting the lives and livelihoods of families and businesses. Not only would banning natural gas connections take away the rights of families and businesses to choose their own appliances, but the notion that banning natural gas would somehow improve the environment is nonsense.”

“The U.S. is leading the world in environmental progress and has reduced the most emissions of any nation year after year for nearly 20 years, largely due to the use of natural gas and ongoing progress in renewable energy. Governments and the private sector working together to offer sensible, environmentally-positive solutions to our energy challenges are proving that we can have a balanced mix of energy sources including renewables while still keeping prices affordable and services reliable for everyone.”

“It’s commendable that Representatives Pressel, Manning and Soliday are taking steps to proactively thwart the efforts by anti-energy extremists from becoming a reality, as we have seen in other states across the country.”

House Bill 1191 is currently before the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee.