Indiana regulators would be barred from adopting environmental rules tougher than federal standards under a bill that's advancing in the General Assembly that has drawn criticism that it would hamper efforts to protect the state's environment and public health.
The commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Thomas Easterly, told lawmakers that the pending federal regulations will essentially rule out coal-fired power plants that currently generate much of the state’s electricity.
In May, state inspectors visited the abandoned east-side site and found electronic waste they said could threaten both human and environmental health.
The odor was so strong after the spill in December that residents in the upscale neighborhood called the gas company to report a leak.
The state says a Hancock County salvage yard had made headway in fixing environmental violations found during a March inspection. The owner still faces an unrelated lawsuit from county officials.
Some of the violations cited by the state are related to poor handling of hazardous materials at the Heritage-Crystal Clean Inc. facility in Speedway.
Indiana's Department of Homeland Security and several divisions of the Department of Natural Resources would have to review the 2,000-acre reservoir proposal, as would the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Options include increasing exports as opposition to coal-fired electricity generation heats up at both national and local levels.
Penalties will help fund clean-up of East Washington Street site.
Environmentalists and Indiana's newspaper association say a state agency's plans to stop publishing notices about public hearings on air-quality issues will leave some residents in the dark about policy changes that could impact their health.
An Indiana regulatory panel passed new rules Wednesday aimed at protecting the quality of the state's waterways. The new rules are aimed at lowering the levels of pollutants released into waterways by companies.
The Indiana Department of Transportation and a contractor on the Interstate 69 project downstate have been cited for more than a dozen deficiencies in preventing erosion and the flow of sediment into streams.
A state effort to address phosphorous pollution that has fouled Indiana's waterways is moving forward slowly, but environmental groups' hopes for help from lawmakers is likely to be dashed this year.
The state’s largest green group is seeking changes to measures it says could strip funding and oversight for environmental protection.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says an inspection of the State of Indiana Forensic and Health Sciences Lab found open jugs of hazardous materials during an inspection.
A panel discussion includes topics ranging from green power initiatives and hybrid cars to landfill policies and environmental regulations.
EPA data show an 18 percent decrease in toxic emissions among big manufacturers and electric utilities, but it’s unclear to what degree better practices—or the slow economy—had on declining levels.
More than three years after sparking an uproar by issuing BP a permit allowing it to discharge more pollution from its Whiting refinery, Indiana is still issuing permits under the same problematic set of rules that played a role in that 2007 controversy.
Indiana will benefit from a $25.2 million environmental trust established to clean up and redevelop eight former General Motors plants throughout the state, officials said Wednesday.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says a federal grant will help pay for retrofitting school buses, technology to reduce idling by tractor trucks, towboats and locomotives, and fuel-efficient tires and aerodynamic trim for tractors and trailers.
