Rep. Spartz demands sweeping investigation into utility surcharges, no-bid contracts, corporate subsidies, grid reliability & eminent domain uses

Submitted by Office of U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz

Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.-05) is calling for sweeping federal and state investigations into utility surcharges, corporate subsidies, energy infrastructure costs, threats to grid reliability, and the use of eminent domain for projects benefiting private corporations.

In three letters to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Department of Energy (DOE), and Indiana’s new legislative leadership, Spartz is demanding independent audits, stronger property rights, greater transparency, and meaningful regulatory reforms.

“Americans are being forced to bankroll a system where powerful utilities collect guaranteed returns, wealthy corporations receive massive subsidies, and hardworking families and small businesses get stuck with higher bills,” Rep. Spartz said. “It is time to follow the money and expose who approved these sweetheart deals, who profited, and who got stuck with the bill.”

Spartz is demanding action on:

• Utility surcharges, no-bid contracts, and corporate subsidies: Audit previously approved federal and state utility surcharges, special rate riders, guaranteed returns, no-bid contracts and preferential transmission development rights, tax breaks, and corporate incentives to determine whether costs were justified or improperly passed on to consumers.
• Eminent domain and property rights: Reform laws allowing private property to be taken for transmission projects primarily benefiting corporate interests. Require proof of genuine public necessity, independent review of alternatives, and fair treatment of affected landowners.
• Cost shifting: Require data centers and other major electricity users to pay their full generation, transmission, and infrastructure costs rather than shifting them onto families and small businesses.
• Grid reliability and blackouts: Examine whether rapidly expanding electricity demand, premature power plant retirements, and delays in new generation and transmission threaten reliable electricity supplies. Develop a concrete plan for dependable natural gas and nuclear generation.
• Energy costs and environmental risks: Investigate the full costs and potential pollution risks of solar, wind, and battery storage projects, including their effects on utility bills and grid reliability.
• Regulatory failures: Investigate PJM and MISO governance, utility conflicts of interest, regulatory compliance failures, and national security concerns. Reform the structure, transparency, and accountability of Indiana’s Utility Regulatory Commission.
• Farmland, water, and public safety: Protect productive farmland and water resources, investigate publicly subsidized infrastructure, and examine the safety of battery storage facilities proposed in flood-prone areas.
• Transparency and accountability: Require independent verification of electricity demand, competitive transmission development, disclosure of financial beneficiaries, and enforceable protections against abandoned projects and stranded costs.

“We are shutting down reliable power plants while rushing to approve massive new electricity loads without adequate generation,” Spartz said. “Who is planning for the blackouts? Who is paying for the infrastructure? And who is holding these regulators accountable? Eminent domain must serve genuine public necessity – not become a tool for wealthy corporations to seize farmland and force families to subsidize their private developments.”

Spartz is requesting a comprehensive GAO investigation of historical utility charges and corporate incentives, federal regulatory action on large-load projects and grid reliability, and legislative reforms by Indiana’s General Assembly when it reconvenes in January.

“Indiana families should not be subsidizing billionaires’ data centers through hidden utility charges and government handouts,” Spartz said. “We need a full accounting of every dollar, independent audits, and recovery of any improper payments. This is corporate welfare on the backs of American taxpayers and ratepayers. Enough is enough. Government must stop protecting powerful special interests and start protecting the people who pay the bills.”

The three letters address:

• GAO: Independent investigation and audits of utility surcharges, subsidies, infrastructure costs, regulatory failures, and potential improper cost recovery. Read the letter here.
• FERC and DOE: Federal action on large-load developments, grid reliability, transmission competition, generation planning, and regional grid governance. Read the letter here.
• Indiana legislative leadership: Eminent domain reform, utility commission accountability, corporate subsidy reform, property rights, and stronger protections for Indiana taxpayers and ratepayers. Read the letter here.