Controversial Indiana environmental bills inch near passage
Lawmakers approved two environmental bills Tuesday that critics say could damage the state’s ecosystems by scaling back current policy affecting water, energy and other resources.
Energy & Environment
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Duke Energy division planning $180M Indiana solar farm
The project, which would be on built on leased land and span 1,500 acres, including 896 acres in Vigo County and 604 acres in Sullivan County. It would be located on a reclaimed coal strip mine currently being used for crops.
Biofuels producers, farmers not sold on switch to electric
Biofuels producers and some of their supporters in Congress say now is the time to increase sales of ethanol and biodiesel, not abandon them.
State lawmakers amend environment bills as deadlines near
The proposed changes arrive as members of the General Assembly decide whether the state should adopt greener initiatives or scale back current policy protecting water, energy and other resources.
Q&A: Daniel Poynter on helping Indiana become carbon-neutral
Daniel Poynter, a former software developer and executive coach to social entrepreneurs, spent 11 months in 2019 using his savings to study climate full time.
Indiana utility fined record $1.1M for pipeline safety violations
The fine represents the third time since 2017 that NIPSCO has received a substantial fine for similar violations. The money the utility will pay for the fine will go into Indiana’s general fund.
Automakers embrace electric vehicles, but what about buyers?
The world’s major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead. But the American public is far from sold on the idea.
IPL places big bet on a name change
One of Indianapolis’ oldest companies, Indianapolis Power & Light Co., is testing whether putting on a whole new look will help it get more recognition and affection than utilities’ normally see.
Spiking energy leads wholesale prices up 0.5% in February
Over the past year, wholesale prices are up 2.8%, the largest 12-month gain at the wholesale level in more than two years.
AES Indiana seeks to boost electric vehicle usage with incentives that could raise overall rates
The utility wants permission to pass along the cost of those incentives to all of its 500,000 customers in the state in the form of higher rates in coming years, whether or not they drive an electric vehicle.
Duke Energy closing southern Indiana power plant early
The utility’s R. Gallagher power plant, which boasts twin smokestacks that have long towered over the Ohio River city of New Albany, was scheduled to be retired in 2022, but will now close much earlier.
EPA changes stand, sides with ethanol industry in court case
The federal government announced Monday that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Texas power outages below 500,000, but water woes persist
Authorities ordered 7 million people—a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state—to boil tap water before drinking it, following record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and pipes.
Experts: Gulf freeze may boost gas prices, but only briefly
A deep freeze in the Gulf state region and beyond that killed dozens of people, left millions without power and jeopardized drinking water systems also forced as many as 11 refineries offline, according to travel app GasBuddy.
GM’s Chevy Bolt SUV joins parade of new U.S. electric vehicles
The Bolt will bring the total number of EVs on sale in the U.S. to at least 23, and Edmunds.com expects that figure to reach 30 this year.
Indiana panel OKs bill that sets statewide standards on renewable-energy projects
The vote followed a passionate debate between renewable energy advocates and a group of residents and local officials who said legislation would take away local control.
Indiana Senate approves bill to deregulate wetlands
Wetlands would still be regulated by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, but that oversight would only apply to about 20% of the remaining wetlands.
General Motors to eliminate gasoline and diesel light-duty cars and SUVs by 2035
The electric-vehicle industry has grown exponentially in the past decade but still represents less than 2% of automobiles sold in the United States.
Biden signs orders aimed at eliminating nation’s reliance on fossil fuels
President Joe Biden has set a goal of eliminating pollution from fossil fuels in the power sector by 2035 and from the U.S. economy overall by 2050, speeding growth of solar and wind energy and lessening the country’s dependence on oil and gas.
Biden set to put moratorium on oil drilling on public lands
Oil and gas extracted from public lands and waters account for about a quarter of annual U.S. production.