CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) _ State regulators will take public comments this month at a public hearing on Northern Indiana Public Service Co.’s plan to recover the costs of improvements in pollution controls through increased electricity rates.
 
  The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will hold a public field hearing April 22 in Crown Point.
 
  NIPSCO is asking regulators to approve its plan to install new pollution control equipment at three of its power plants to meet federal environmental regulations. The equipment would reduce mercury and particulate matter emissions.
 
  The utility also wants approval to recover the project’s costs through rates. NIPSCO estimates the project’s construction costs at about $59 million before financing costs. The project would add about $1.07 to the average monthly residential electric bill by 2017.