Cinergy Corp. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Co.

915 N.E.2d 524, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2251, 2009 WL 3460280
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 28, 2009
Docket32A04-0810-CV-622
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 915 N.E.2d 524 (Cinergy Corp. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cinergy Corp. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Co., 915 N.E.2d 524, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2251, 2009 WL 3460280 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

MATHIAS, Judge.

Cinergy Corporation, Duke Energy Indiana Inc., and Duke Energy Ohio Inc. (collectively "Cinergy") appeal the Hendricks Superior Court's grant of summary judgment in favor of St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Co. ("St. Paul"), Travelers Casualty and Surety Co., 1 and Associated Electric and Gas Insurance Services, Ltd. ("AEGIS") (collectively "the Insurers"), 2 and the trial court's determination that the Insurers bave no obligation to defend, indemnify, or otherwise provide coverage to Cinergy in connection with Cinergy's alleged liability for violations of the Clean Air Act. Cinergy appeals and raises several issues, which we consolidate and restate as:

I. Whether the trial court appropriate, ly interpreted our supreme court's decision in Cinergy Corp. v. Associated Electric & Gas Insurance Services, Ltd., 865 N.E.2d 571 (Ind.2007) in determining that the Insurers have no duty to defend or indemnify Cinergy in connection with Cin-ergy's alleged violations of the Clean Air Act;
Whether the trial court erred when it determined that Cinergy's claims are not covered under the Insurers' policies; and,
Whether the trial court should have postponed its coverage determination until the underlying federal lawsuit concerning Cinergy's alleged Clean Air Act violations was concluded.

Concluding that the trial court properly entered summary judgment in favor of the Insurers, we affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

The Clean Air Act establishes a comprehensive program for controlling and improving the nation's air quality through both state and federal regulation. Greenbaum v. U.S. Envtl Prot. Agency, 370 F.3d 527 (6th Cir.2004). In an effort to improve and control ambient air quality, Congress enacted the 1977 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. State v. Costas, 552 N.E.2d 459 (Ind.1990) (citing 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.). In those amendments, *527 Congress created the new source review program, which is a permitting program for new or modified, major, stationary sources of air pollution in nonattainment areas. 3 Under the program, any new project or modification to an existing project that would emit more than a threshold amount of a pollutant for which that region has not attained the National Ambient Air Quality Standards must apply for a permit to construct and operate that pollution source. The permit may only be granted if the project uses technology that will ensure "the lowest achievable emission rate" and obtains emissions reduction credits to offset the emissions that it will produce. See Romoland Sch. Dist. v. Inland Empire Energy Ctr., LLC, 548 F.3d 738, 740-41 (9th Cit.2008) (citing 42 U.S.C. §§ 7410(a), 7502(c), 7508(a)).

In 1999, the United States, three states, and two environmental organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court against Cinergy for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (hereinafter referred to as "the underlying federal litigation."). The complaint alleges that Cinergy performed certain maintenance and repair projects at six power plants without obtaining the permits required under the Clean Air Act. Operation of the plants without installing additional air emissions containment equipment has caused increased emissions of harmful substances into the air. In the ongoing underlying federal litigation, the plaintiffs seek to compel Cinergy to install equipment to reduce future emissions of pollutants and to prevent resulting future environmental harm.

In October, 2000, the Insurers filed a declaratory judgment action in Hendricks Buperior Court for a determination of their coverage obligations under the insurance policies Cinergy carried on its power plants during the relevant time periods. Proceedings in this cause have resulted in several appeals to Indiana's appellate courts. The decisions important to the issues before us are Cinergy Corp. v. Associated Elec. & Gas Ins. Servs., Ltd., 865 N.E.2d 571 (Ind.2007) ("Cinergy I") and Cinergy Corp. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines Ins. Co., 873 N.E.2d 105 (Ind.Ct.App.2007), trams. denied ("Cinergy II ").

In Cinergy I, Cinergy appealed the denial of its motion for partial summary judgment in which the company sought an order directing AEGIS to pay the company's expenses as incurred in the defense of the underlying federal litigation. Our supreme court held that the AEGIS policies do not provide coverage for damages "in the form of installation costs for government-mandated equipment intended to reduce future emissions of pollutants and to prevent future environmental harm." 865 N.E.2d at 582. Ultimately, the court concluded, "[blecause the AEGIS insurance policies do not provide coverage for the costs of installing such equipment, the trial court did not err in denying partial summary judgment seeking to compel payment of all costs incurred by [Cinergy] in defending all claims in the federal lawsuit." Id. at 583.

Approximately four months later, our court issued its opinion in Cinergy II. In that case, the trial court entered partial summary judgment to the Insurers after concluding that Cinergy failed to establish that there was a "potential occurrence" during the 1983-84 policy term at Ciner- *528 gy's Cayuga Plant. Our court affirmed after concluding that there was neither an actual or potential occurrence under the policy at issue, as that term was interpreted by our supreme court in Cinergy I. Cinergy II, 873 N.E.2d at 115.

After the Cinergy I and Cinergy II decisions issued, the Insurers moved for summary judgment seeking an order declaring that they have no obligation to defend or indemnify Cinergy for any of the claims being adjudicated in the underlying federal litigation. Cinergy filed a motion to postpone any indemnity determination until the claims in underlying federal litigation are resolved.

On May 15, 2008, the trial court denied Cinergy's motion to postpone. A hearing on the Insurers's motion for summary judgment was held on August 7, 2008. On September 23, 2008, the trial court issued the following order granting summary judgment in favor of the Insurers:

(a) [The Insurers] have no obligation to defend, indemnify or otherwise provide coverage to [Cinergy] in connection with [Cinergy's] liabilities for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act for operations related to the Cayuga, Gallagher, Wabash, Gibson, Beckjord, Miami Fort and J.M. Stuart sites.

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915 N.E.2d 524, 2009 Ind. App. LEXIS 2251, 2009 WL 3460280, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cinergy-corp-v-st-paul-surplus-lines-insurance-co-indctapp-2009.