Lawmakers OK bill cementing landmark Lake Michigan ruling
Indiana lawmakers have passed legislation to embrace a landmark state Supreme Court decision affirming that the Lake Michigan shoreline is publicly owned and open to all for recreation.
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Indiana legislators pass bill seeking to deregulate wetlands
Indiana’s protections for certain wetlands would end under legislation state lawmakers approved in the waning hours of their session, even though the state’s own environmental agency joined environmentalists in opposing the measure.
Indiana lawmakers pass controversial coal bill
A controversial bill that would prohibit Indiana utilities from shutting down coal-fired power plants before May 2021 has passed both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly and is on its way to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature.
Signs opposing proposed CAFO hog farm vandalized
A dispute over a large hog farm in northern Indiana in the small community of Denver is getting nasty. Yard signs opposing the Miami County farm were removed and then returned with obscenities painted on them, the Kokomo Tribune reported.
Toxic Superfund cleanups decline to more than 30-year low
The Trump administration completed the fewest cleanups of toxic Superfund sites last year than any administration since the program’s first years in the 1980s, figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency indicated Wednesday.
EPA orders hazardous waste probe at shuttered E. Chicago site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a hazardous waste investigation at a sprawling former oil refinery in northwestern Indiana that was shuttered in 1973 and later was the scene of a major fire.
Cellphone ban, pregnancy accommodations among issues facing Statehouse debate
Indiana lawmakers returned to the Statehouse this week after deadlines last week on advancing bills for action during the second half of this year’s legislative session.
Public forum to push for lead legislation as bills stall
With the deadline looming in the Statehouse for bills to pass through committee, the Greater Indianapolis NAACP Branch #3053 is sustaining the pressure on the Legislature to address the risks of lead poisoning in children.
Indiana utilities would be prevented from shutting down coal-fired plants under new bill
Indianapolis Power & Light’s Harding Street station will soon shut down its last coal-powered turbine, for conversion to natural-gas-generated electricity.
Groups want tougher U.S. Steel fine for Lake Michigan spill
The leaders of 18 environmental and civic groups have joined a push for U.S. Steel to face tougher penalties over a spill of hazardous substances from a northwestern Indiana plant into Lake Michigan.
Indiana proposes new sulfur dioxide limit for E. Chicago plant
Indiana regulators have set proposed new pollution limits for a steel plant in East Chicago that’s considered one of the region’s worst polluters.
Environmental groups sue steel mill over lake chemical spill
Two environmental groups are suing a steelmaker for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act at its northwestern Indiana facility more than 100 times in the past five years, including an August spill that killed more than 3,000 fish.
Justices seem uncertain about reach of Clean Water Act
The United States Supreme Court seems uncertain about how to decide a closely watched case from Hawaii about the reach of landmark federal clean-water protections.
Big case hits the big screen: Taft lawyer’s DuPont suit attracts star power
A Taft Stettinius & Hollister attorney who successfully took on one of the world’s most powerful chemical manufacturers in a major toxic contamination case is being featured on the big screen as he continues to bring awareness to an issue he says is a global heath threat.
Harrell & Dodane: Final ACE rule trumps CPP, lets states set standards
On June 19, United States Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the final version of the Affordable Clean Energy rule that was initially proposed on Aug. 21, 2018. The ACE final rule repeals and replaces the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which attempted to impose first-ever carbon dioxide emission standards on existing fossil fuel power plants.
McGimpsey: Digital water pivots utilities from reactive to proactive
Data has transformed how every industry does business, including utilities. The term “digital water” is a hot topic right now as more water and wastewater utilities look to improve operations and communications with customers. While it can be challenging for utilities to take steps toward implementing digital water technologies, those that do could see significant benefits across multiple departments.
Indiana takes steps to improve water sustainability
Hoosier lawmakers, utilities and water policy lawyers in recent years have begun to look more closely at supply and demand. Legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2019, for example, ties certain funding sources to evidence of effective water study and communication. Meanwhile, some of the state’s biggest utilities have begun efforts to increase collaboration so that water resources might be shared.
7th Circuit affirms CERCLA ruling in Beech Grove lead cleanup
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court’s ruling against a Beech Grove manufacturing company over who should bear the costs of cleaning up a contaminated lead smelter site.
Ethanol producer blames Cloverdale plant closure on Trump EPA
The owner of a western Indiana ethanol plant is blaming its shutdown on the Trump administration allowing some refineries to not blend ethanol with gasoline as required under federal law.
NIPSCO loses appeal in damaged gas line small-claims suit
An excavation company found at fault for the destruction of a new home’s gas line will still have to pay up to the Northern Indiana Public Service Company despite the latter’s assertion that the company could not be held liable for a landscaper’s failure to mark the gas lines.