Q&A with Joel Markland about turning fields from brown to green
Markland leads the 15-person BCA Environmental Consultants LLC, which started in Elkhart in 1987 and now has offices in Indianapolis, South Bend, Louisville and Puerto Rico.
Energy & Environment
Articles
U.S. releases $8B in push to modernize nation’s electric grid
The president wants the nation to produce 100% clean energy by 2035. But that goal faces massive hurdles. Those include an electric grid that needs enormous expansion to carry electricity from renewable energy sources to densely populated regions.
Indiana governor vetoes bill requiring ethanol warning label
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he found the “additional layer of government unnecessary and confusing.”
Democrats, activists call on governor to veto wetlands bill
All Democratic members of the General Assembly, as well as a member of the Senate Republican Caucus, urged the Republican governor to veto the bill in a letter sent last week.
Biden to pledge cutting greenhouse gases in half by 2030, sources say
The proposal would require dramatic changes in the power and transportation sectors, including significant increases in renewable energy such as wind and solar power and steep cuts in emissions from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
Wetlands deregulation bill advances to Indiana governor
Lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a disputed bill seeking to remove protections from Indiana’s already diminished wetlands amid mounting criticism that the legislation could cause damage to the state’s waterways, wildlife and vegetation.
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.
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.