From an environmental perspective, the 2023 Indiana General Assembly was most notable for what was not accomplished.
Lawmakers had the opportunity to put the state on the path to sound environmental policy and practices. But they essentially kicked the can down the road, something Hoosiers could ill afford in the next General Assembly, set to start Jan. 9.
The litany of environmental legislation failures last year included the following:
• A proposed climate task force would have made recommendations after studying climate change and potential energy policy solutions. The task force would have pursued reduction of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to boost the economy and improve Hoosiers’ quality of life.
But the bill that would have established the task force did not come to a vote in the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee.
• Another bill would have required operators of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to submit annual reports on operations and manure storage to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
But the legislation to provide greater oversight of factory farms and thereby reduce water pollution didn’t receive a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
• Improved safety of coal ash disposal would have resulted from another bill that never made it out of committee.
• Property tax reductions would have been provided to property owners who preserve small wetlands, expanding an existing program. The bill died in committee.
• A bill that would have required an energy audit of the statehouse and the state government center could have led to greater efficiency and tax revenue savings while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It did not receive a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee.
The 2024 General Assembly must do better for the sake of all Hoosiers. Legislators should pursue the following priorities:
• Address the state’s current and future water needs. Even before the public learned about the state’s plans to build a pipeline to move 100 million gallons a day 35 miles from the Wabash River aquifer near Lafayette to the gigantic LEAP tech park development in Boone County, Indiana was in need of a comprehensive water conservation and use plan.
Legislators must move decisively to protect Hoosier communities from such exploitation and to study the state’s water resources and future needs. The end goal, of course, is to assure that every part of the state has ample access to water now and for decades to come.
• Wean Indiana off coal and encourage the development and use of cleaner energy sources. Indiana has made some progress but still ranks seventh in coal dependency, generating about 53% of its electricity from the pollutant, according to globaltrade.com.
• Protect Indiana’s wetlands and other natural areas to assure that the environment is healthy and inviting.
As with many environmental issues, these priorities all have both quality-of-life and economic-development implications. Beginning in 2024, Hoosier lawmakers can usher Indiana closer to the forefront of the environmental movement.
Or they can choose to kick the can down the road again.
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