The sprawling U.S. Steel Gary Works is seen along Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline. On Friday, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management asked the public to help it identify any state environmental regulations that no longer are needed. Kale Wilk, file, The Times
The state agency responsible for protecting and improving the quality of Indiana's air, water and land is asking the public to help it identify any state environmental regulations that no longer are needed.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management requested feedback Friday on whether any of its policies may be overly burdensome to individuals, businesses, communities or industries across the state.
IDEM said it plans to compile a list of potentially problematic regulations and present it to the governor's office by July 1 to give Republican Gov. Mike Braun and IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods the opportunity "to revisit or rescind" the policies.
In March, Braun signed an executive order directing IDEM to reconsider any regulations that are "unduly burdensome, significantly raise the cost of living for Hoosiers, are not supported by current law and the best available science or do not benefit Indiana's environment."
Braun also said absent special circumstances, no new state environmental rules, regulations or programs will be more stringent than similar federal law, unless explicitly required by an Indiana statute.
He shrugged off concerns that fully implementing a "no more stringent than" standard at the state level potentially could leave Indiana's environment with no regulatory protections if the administration of Republican President Donald Trump follows through on its promises to delete reams of federal environmental rules and policies.
"The existence of state environmental regulations that are more stringent than federal regulations can cause confusion, increase costs and force state of Indiana businesses to devote resources to ensuring compliance with different sets of rules," Braun said.
"The state of Indiana is committed to promoting streamlined environmental policies consistent with federal policies to provide regulatory certainty and avoid overregulation that could harm our state's business environment and economic competitiveness."
Allegedly burdensome environmental regulations can be submitted to IDEM prior to June 30 by emailing efficiency@idem.IN.gov.
The agency requests commenters include in their messages specific cost data and how it connects to state environmental regulations, the responsible section of the Indiana Administrative Code and any suggestions for whether to repeal, replace or modify the particular rule or policy.
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