Data center projects facing local pushback
Four data center proposals in the Indianapolis area are facing a dynamic that’s emerging here and elsewhere: The operators working to build data centers here vs. the neighbors trying to stop them.
Environment
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The Bee Corp. dissolves, but its technology lives on
The company’s signature technology, called Verifli, uses infrared imagery, data analytics and a smartphone app to determine the size of the bee colony inside a hive—a faster and less invasive method than manually inspecting the hive.
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Cummins agrees to pay nearly $1.7B to settle federal Clean Air Act investigation
Cummins has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and will pay $1.675 billion—the largest Clean Air Act settlement in history—to resolve allegations that the company violated the Clean Air Act by installing “defeat devices” in some of its pickup truck engines.
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INDOT gifting biodiverse 10-acre property to Central Indiana Land Trust
The piece of land in Hancock County known as Founders Fen is home to numerous indigenous and rare plants, including the state-endangered Canadian burnet along with the Indian plantain, queen of the prairie and the white turtlehead.
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Proposed pipeline stirs questions about who controls Indiana’s water
Consideration of a pipeline to pump massive amounts of water from Lafayette to the LEAP Innovation and Research District in Lebanon is revealing major gaps in Indiana’s water-rights laws, some stakeholders say.
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Articles
Agencies ordered to release billions of frozen dollars aimed at climate, infrastructure projects
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, sided with conservation and nonprofit groups.
Environmental Protection Agency terminates $20B in grants for climate projects
Administrator Lee Zeldin claims that the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is part of a “scheme” administered by the previous administration without proper oversight.
Lawmakers seek path to remediate brownfields through inventory
Senate Bill 307 would allow the Indiana Brownfields Program to be used to study brownfields and to create a statewide inventory, although the bill provides no funding for the task.
EV, battery manufacturers moving ahead on projects despite Trump’s views, actions
Potential rollbacks of Biden-era policies that incentivized electric vehicle production and ownership have stirred apprehension among some local economic development officials across the state.
Plan for 650 homes near Morse Reservoir in Noblesville faces resident opposition
Nearly 20 people expressed those worries Tuesday night to members of the Noblesville City Council during a public hearing about a zoning change that would allow development of the 175-acre Morse Village.
In landmark move, EPA requires removal of all lead pipes within 10 years
The move comes nearly 40 years after Congress determined that lead pipes posed a serious risk to public health and banned them in new construction.
Lawsuit accuses Cummins of stealing trade secrets
California-based tech company C3.ai, which accuses Cummins of “brazen misappropriations of trade secrets and breach of contract,” said it plans to seek damages estimated at between $500 million and $1 billion.
What it means for the Supreme Court to block enforcement of the EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ pollution rule
Three energy-producing states—Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia—challenged the rule, along with the steel industry and other groups, calling it costly and ineffective.
Cooking oil recycler cleans up at IMS, Gainbridge
Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions filters customers’ used cooking oil for reuse. It also cleans customers’ fryers and carts off used cooking oil to be recycled into biodiesel fuel.
Indiana AG files lawsuit against 22 companies over ‘forever chemicals’
The lawsuit accuses the companies of making substances that they knew could have a toxic impact on Indiana’s drinking water and natural resources.
Railroad agrees to $600M settlement for fiery Ohio derailment, but residents fear it’s not enough
The company said the agreement, if approved by the court, will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment.
U.S. secures $1.37M settlement for cleanup of toxic south-side commercial property
As part of the resolution, Arconic Corp., Navistar Inc., and Ford Motor Co., agreed to pay the federal government without admission of liability.
Neighborhood awaits replacement of lead pipes
Citizens Energy Group is focusing on the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in the utility’s next phase of a plan—predicted to cost $500 million—to replace all remaining lead service lines that connect Indianapolis homes and businesses to water.
Cummins faces shareholder and customer lawsuits after $2B settlement
The Indiana-based manufacturer agreed late last year to pay $2 billion to settle allegations that it unlawfully altered hundreds of thousands of Ram pickup truck engines in violation of Clean Air Act emission standards.
Bill further rolling back Indiana wetland protections is first to land on governor’s desk
The Senate approved the measure 32-17 on Tuesday — with eight Republicans joining the opposition. It’s not clear where Gov. Eric Holcomb stands on the bill, however.
Flash point emerges over south-side wetlands
Environmentalists say a planned 1.9-million-square-foot warehouse complex on 170 acres near I-65 and the Marion-Johnson county line is another manifestation of the continued erosion of wetlands protections in Indiana.
City’s carbon-credit plan is delayed but still a go
About a year ago, the City-County Council passed a resolution expressing support for a carbon credit program to finance green space preservation, but progress has been slow as the city struggled to find a cost-effective way to launch the plan.
Biden administration says environmental enforcement on the upswing
The EPA opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70% increase over 2022, the agency said in a report. It completed nearly 1,800 civil settlements, a 9% increase over 2022.
City ramps up climate staff amid weather concerns
Indianapolis officials say they are preparing for more severe weather in the years to come as climate-change events threaten to overwhelm the stormwater drainage system and pose other problems.