Less than a week after Gov. Mike Braun called an approved rate increase to AES customers “unacceptable” by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, he named a new chairman — Anthony Swinger.
Braun announced Swinger would take over as head of the IURC “effective immediately” in a social media post Monday evening.
“Affordability is my top priority and I am confident Chairman Swinger will deliver on that priority for Hoosiers,” Braun tweeted June 22, 2026.
Who did Anthony Swinger replace?
Swinger will replace former state senator Andy Zay as IURC chairman. Braun appointed Zay to lead the commission a little more than six months ago, a term set to expire in March 2030.
Braun named Swinger as one of four IURC commissioners in January. The agency oversees more than 600 utility services operating in Indiana and is tasked in part to ensure Hoosiers are charged “just and reasonable rates.”
Braun, in recent weeks, has signaled the cost Hoosiers are paying for both gasoline and electricity are too high.
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Before appointing new IURC chairman, Braun asked regulators to reconsider AES rate hike
Last week, Braun condemned a decision by the IURC to greenlight a $71 million rate increase for AES Indiana.
The rate increase authorizes AES to earn a total of nearly $2 billion each year, or an estimated $384 million in profit.
The “decision by the IURC to allow another rate increase by AES is unacceptable,” Braun said in a June 18 news release, who called for Indiana Utility Counselor Abby Gray to petition a rehearing of the rate increase.
Although substantially less than the $192 million increase AES initially requested, it comes at a time when most Americans are struggling to make ends meet because of inflation.
Braun and many other Republican leaders are grappling with affordability ahead of the midterms.
The rate hike by AES means Hoosiers could see higher electrical bills this summer.
How much could Hoosiers pay under the AES rate hike? Is another one coming?
A household using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, slightly more than the national average, should expect to pay an additional $9.52 per month, according to AES’s filings with the IURC.
On June 12, AES asked the IURC to raise prices again to $8.04 per month for a household using 1,000 kilowatt hours. The agency will likely hear the request in August, according to a commission spokesperson, which would apply to electricity bills September through November 2026.
AES told customers the rate increase will help the company make needed infrastructure improvements, modernize its grid as well other perform other services.
Who is Anthony Swinger?
Swinger, according to a bio page provided by the agency, spent 25 years with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, the office that represents ratepayers in proceedings before the IURC.
Swinger also is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, according to his bio, in which he serves on its Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest, and on the Committee on Gas.
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Pulliam fellow Tilly Robinson with IndyStar contributed.
John Tufts covers trending and breaking news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at John.Tufts@IndyStar.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Gov. Braun appoints new utility chair amid rate hike
Reporting by John Tufts and Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By John Tufts and Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
