– By Carolyn Wright, IMPA Vice President of Government Relations
With the 2024 general election now over, Indiana and the nation are looking ahead to new administrations at the state and federal level. While some predicted that it would take days to determine the outcome of the Presidential election results, it in fact only took until the day after. President-Elect Donald Trump won both the popular vote as well as the electoral vote, capturing several pivotal states and winning all seven swing states. Republicans now have control of the US Senate by a margin of 53-47, while the US House has cleared the 218 seats needed for outright control of that chamber. There are still several races that have not been called, however. When the dust settles, the margin in the House will be narrow, making policy decisions particularly challenging. It is expected that Speaker Johnson will retain his gavel and continue presiding over that chamber.
In Indiana, Republicans swept statewide offices for the third straight presidential election. Governor-elect Mike Braun and Lt. Governor-elect Micah Beckwith defeated their Democrat and Libertarian opponents with a 54% share of the total vote. They will take office in early January 2025. Indiana’s Congressional delegation will retain the same makeup of seven Republicans and two Democrats, though there will be three new faces. There were three close state legislative races, but Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly will retain their supermajorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with incumbents on both sides of the aisle winning re-election. The margin in both chambers remains unchanged with Republicans in the Indiana House of Representatives maintaining a 70-30 split, and the Indiana Senate remains controlled by Republicans 40-10.
All 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives were up for election this year. Of the 100 seats, 36 ran unopposed. Over in the Senate, 25 of that chamber’s 50 seats were on the ballot. Of those seats, 12 were unopposed – 8 Republican and 4 Democrats.
In the coming weeks, state election officials will certify their elections, barring any recounts. Then, the electors of the Electoral College will meet in their respective states, including Indiana, to certify the results on December 17th. After the election has been certified, state electors send a certificate to Congress, which will then formally count and certify the vote during a special session of Congress on January 6, 2025. Once Congress certifies the vote, the inauguration will be held on January 20, 2025, on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington DC.
State legislators gathered on November 19th for the ceremonial Organizational Day of the 124th Indiana General Assembly. Legislators took their oath of office, legislative rules were adopted, and leaders in both the House and Senate outlined their respective visions for the coming weeks and months. The legislative session will reconvene for the “long” session on January 8th. The 2025 legislative session will focus on crafting the two-year $45 billion state budget, potential property tax reform, health care costs, housing challenges, education, economic development, and there will likely be robust conversations in the energy and utility space, including electric and water resources, transmission, and other utility-related matters.
With regard to national energy policy, the regulatory environment could see some significant changes with President-Elect Trump and the new Republican controlled Congress. Environmental regulations on power generation, construction, permitting, and manufacturing for energy-related activities may well be eased. There will likely be efforts to reduce regulations governing oil and gas and mining activities, and to make the permitting processes easier, with an emphasis on making US energy sources more secure. Republican policymakers will likely also consider rolling back or modifying some IRA energy credits when they begin looking for revenue. Certain provisions, like EV credits, and credits for clean hydrogen, standalone energy storage, and technology-neutral credits, could face enhanced scrutiny under a Republican-led Congress.
On the state level, Governor-Elect Braun’s legislative and administrative agenda will all shake out in the coming weeks. Inauguration ceremonies will take place on January 13th.
In the energy space, there will be a focus on Indiana’s ability to attract and supply power to data centers and other larger load customers. With the input of energy providers and numerous other stakeholders, including IMPA, key policymakers have worked tirelessly over the last several years to create an environment conducive to having adequate power supply in our state, an ability to move that power where it needs to go, and to address the cost component to ultimate customers. Those conversations are going to continue during the next legislative session. There will likely be discussions surrounding coal plant closures, resource planning for large loads, and how costs to ultimate customers will be protected.
As new political dynamics play out at the state and federal levels, IMPA as an organization remains committed to protecting the best interests of municipal electric utilities, and is well positioned to continue providing a low-cost, reliable, and environmentally responsible power supply to our member communities. The Agency’s Government Relations Team will be monitoring developments closely and advocating for all of Indiana’s municipal electric utilities. Additionally, IMPA staff and commissioners will participate in the 2025 American Public Power Association Legislative Rally to continue advocating for public power and IMPA membership at the national level.