Following polls showing NIPSCO’s unpopularity, State Rep Randy Novak has made much of his opposition to NIPSCO rate increases. But public records show that in 2026 Novak dined with NIPSCO lobbyists while the legislature was in session, and accepted donations from utility and data center lobbyists before and after the session ended.
Records filed with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission show that on January 13, 2026, the first week the legislature was in session, NIPSCO paid for a dinner with Rep. Novak, Senator Rodney Pol, and seven other members of the legislature. The records do not disclose a restaurant location or the topics discussed.
The dinner followed a donation to Novak in December from ICE Miller/ICE PAC, a lobbyist for Amazon and a contract lobbyist for NIPSCO via the 1816 Public Affairs Group.
After the session, Novak received donations from three other lobbying firms, Krieg DeVault, Corydon Group, and Bose Public Affairs, each of which lobbies for both public utilities and data centers.
Novak also received substantial donations from at least twelve building trades unions involved in building data centers.
“You can’t say that you’ll stand up to NIPSCO, but then take their money and go to dinner with them,” said Chris Cleveland, Novak’s opponent in the upcoming election.
Novak is no stranger to conflicts of interest, having done business personally with a LaPorte County contractor while simultaneously voting appropriations for that contractor.
The lobbying report filed by NIPSCO can be found online here.