House passes bill to crack down on gasoline ‘price gouging’
A closely divided House approved legislation Thursday to crack down on alleged price gouging by oil companies and other energy producers as prices at the pump continue to soar.
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Biden finalizes rule restoring broad review of big projects
The Biden administration is restoring federal regulations guiding environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects such as highways and pipelines that were scaled back by the Trump administration in a bid to fast-track the projects.
Justices dismiss appeal challenging IURC decision, disagree on standing analysis
A solar-power advocacy organization did not have standing to seek judicial review of a decision by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled, dismissing the appeal outright. But while all justices agreed with the outcome, one argued the court’s standing analysis should be more robust.
Governor’s veto of ethanol warning upheld by Indiana Senate
The Indiana Senate narrowly upheld a veto that Gov. Eric Holcomb issued last year on a bill that would have required additional labeling for fuel pumps distributing E15, a fuel blend that contains up to 15% ethanol in gasoline.
Janzen: Real estate laws hurting climate change fight?
Midwestern farms are sitting on an untapped resource to meet climate change goals, namely, millions of acres of farmland that have always been farmed to maximize production. Soil and climate scientists are finding that with some production changes, such as planting cover crops during fallow periods to ensure soil is always pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, farmers can increase soil uptake of carbon in farmland.
Hamer-Bailey: PFAS liability and commercial property transfers
Over the last few years, one of the most talked about — and confounding — topics in environmental law has been the issue of PFAS contamination (of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). A pervasive part of our modern lives, from Teflon to Scotchgard to firefighting foam, PFAS compounds now seem to be both a blessing and a curse.
Kelln and Harrell: Could Title VI force change in IN enviro policies?
Conceptually, environmental justice is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” The concept of environmental justice is not new, but came to the forefront during the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan, lead-contaminated drinking water crisis. However, environmental justice never became a coherent strategy and was overshadowed by significant rulemakings around climate change. That has changed in the first year of the Biden administration.
SCOTUS justices wrestle with EPA power to curb carbon emissions
The Supreme Court of the United States wrestled Monday with the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s power plants, a case that could hamstring the Biden administration’s plans to combat climate change.
Lawmakers lay groundwork for electric-vehicle infrastructure
Indiana lawmakers are working to set up the first regulatory framework for utilities to build charging stations and other wide-scale infrastructure needed to support Hoosiers’ conversion to electric vehicles. House Bill 1221 outlines parameters for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to use when considering utility company proposals for the construction of charging stations and setting […]
Court rejects CenterPoint’s billing method for solar power
The Indiana appeals court has ruled in favor of consumer advocacy groups that challenged a change in the way a southwestern Indiana utility bills customers who have solar panels.
Indiana panel advances bill giving broad liability protection to energy company
An Indiana House panel narrowly passed a bill on Tuesday that would prevent an energy company from being sued if its plans to pump carbon emissions thousands of feet underground diminish the value of neighboring properties.
BP agrees to $500K penalty, soot limits at Indiana refinery
Oil giant BP agreed Thursday to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana under an agreement with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal.
2008 Mississippi River spill: Jeffersonville barge company to pay $6.6M
An Indiana-based barge company responsible for a Mississippi River oil spill that significantly damage shoreline habitat in south Louisiana in 2008 has agreed to pay $2.1 million in damages and buy and preserve a wildlife habitat just miles from downtown New Orleans.
Ohio lawmakers look to repeal subsidy for coal plant in Madison
Some lawmakers in the Ohio Legislature want to end a subsidy for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants — including one in Indiana — that have cost state electric customers more than $340 million thus far and leave them on the hook for hundreds of millions more, thanks to a tainted energy bill that led to the biggest corruption scandal in state history.
Indiana Supreme Court to consider Duke Energy rate increase
The Indiana Supreme Court is delving into a dispute over Duke Energy’s request to raise rates to recover funds spent on coal ash remediation.
7th Circuit upholds dismissal of Vectren shareholders’ suit against merger
A panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a district court’s ruling that dismissed a shareholder lawsuit over the acquisition of one of Indiana’s major utility companies with an out-of-state public utility holding company in 2018.
Coal to diesel project fuels evidentiary standard argument
A plan to build the country’s first direct coal-hydrogenation refinery in southern Indiana has spawned a crop of flimsy yard signs proclaiming either support for or opposition to the project and has caused a legal argument to flourish over how much ordinary Hoosiers need to do to get their day in court.
Greener pastures?
Spencer County has been selected to build the first direct coal-hydrogenation refinery in the U.S., and a request has been submitted in Posey County to build a natural gas pipeline under the Ohio River into Evansville. Despite promises of cleaner energy and increased commerce, both projects are being met with opposition from environmental organizations and county residents.
Concerns rise over natural gas turbines, underwater pipeline
CenterPoint Energy, formerly known as Vectren, has submitted a request to build two natural gas turbines in place of its coal-burning generators at the southern Indiana A.B. Brown Power Plant. But residents and environmental groups are opposing the project.
Pashos: Indiana’s 21st Century Energy Task Force continues its work
Indiana’s second 21st Century Energy Task Force began its work last month at the state Capitol. The first task force was created by the General Assembly in 2019 to explore how fuel transitions and emerging technologies may affect the state’s electric system, with particular emphasis on reliability and affordability.