Indiana lawmaker hopes to protect state forests from logging
An Indiana lawmaker plans to reintroduce legislation to protect the state’s forests after seeing the outcome of a timber cut that removed more than 1,700 trees.
Energy & Environmental Law
Articles
EPA, U.S. Steel reach consent decree over chemical spill
.S. Steel will pay a $600,000 civil penalty and $630,000 to reimburse various federal agencies for costs and damages after one of its plants discharged wastewater containing a potentially carcinogenic chemical into a tributary of Lake Michigan, federal and state officials said Monday.
Marathon to pay $335K for 2016 diesel spill
Marathon Petroleum Corp. has agreed to pay $335,000 for a 2016 spill where nearly 36,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the Wabash River near the Indiana-Illinois border. The settlement came as about 42,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled last week into Big Creek in Posey County.
Companies move to dismiss East Chicago lead contamination suit
Companies taken to court over property damage from the contaminated USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago have asked a federal judge to dismiss the case.
Judge holds climate change class in suits against big oil
A federal judge presiding over lawsuits that accuse big oil companies of lying about global warming to protect their profits is turning his courtroom into a classroom in what could be the first hearing to study the science of climate change.
Indiana House member Ober picked for state utility commission
The Indiana House utility committee chairman will be leaving the Legislature for a seat on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that oversees most of the state’s electricity and natural gas companies.
Miami County considers wind farm restrictions
Miami County in northern Indiana is considering new restrictions that could hinder a proposed wind farm that would bring 75 power generating turbines to the area.
Muncie residents protest lead plant’s permit renewal
The state Department of Environmental Management has renewed a central Indiana lead plant’s operating permit for another five years after declining to hold a public hearing. The department said a hearing wasn’t needed because it had answered all of the comments it received during a public comment period.
Attorneys general urge offshore drilling plan’s cancellation
The top lawyers for a dozen coastal states want the U.S. Interior Department to cancel the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, warning it threatens their maritime economies and natural resources.
East Chicago facility settles suit over Clean Air Act violations
Cokenergy, SunCoke Energy and its subsidiary Indiana Harbor Coke Co. have reached a settlement including $5 million in penalties with the state and federal governments to clean up operations in East Chicago, resolving a case that involved hundreds of violations of federal pollution standards.
Keeping East Chicago lead cleanup a priority
Two Statehouse Democrats from northwest Indiana know the cleanup of the contamination site in East Chicago will not only take years but also a steady state commitment. Their legislation — and affected residents’ federal court cases — aim to keep the issue in the spotlight.
Convictions upheld in Imperial securities fraud scheme
An Indiana businessman convicted in a securities fraud scheme lost his federal appeal after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined there was sufficient evidence to prove he had at least some knowledge of the ongoing fraud.
Ex-EPA administrators to discuss policy reversals at McKinney
With the administration of President Donald Trump rolling back federal environmental regulations, two former EPA officials who served in the Obama administration will present a lecture next week titled “Reversing an Environmental Agenda: Will It Stick?”
Top power grid operator blasts Trump plan to aid coal, nuclear
The nation’s biggest electric grid operator said a Trump administration plan to change the way electricity is priced to reward coal and nuclear power is unworkable and potentially against the law.
Trump administration to terminate Obama’s climate plan
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that he will sign a new rule overriding the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era effort to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Stemerick: The DC Circuit hands Trump EPA an early defeat
The decision casts a shadow on other Trump EPA efforts to use agency discretion to review and reconsider Obama-era rules.
Grills: How important is electricity to your clients?
No one expects the business lawyer to understand the complexities of energy markets, but the lawyer can know how energy impacts his or her client’s business and how to pull together the expertise to address the issues.
Despite boost from Trump administration, coal faces rocky prospects
Coal is still king when it comes to power production in the Midwest, but despite a presidential cheerleader for the industry, changes in motion for years coupled with market forces are dimming the outlook for an ancient fossil fuel in sharp decline.
East Chicago residents want say in lead cleanup
The residents’ motion to intervene could impact Superfund site efforts beyond northwest Indiana.
Indiana governor: New law will aid lead-tainted region
Gov. Eric Holcomb is praising a new state law that will help a northwestern Indiana city deal with lead and arsenic contamination that's forcing residents in a public housing complex from their homes.