Summer gasoline pump prices set to hit $4 a gallon
Futures and pump prices have been boosted the past few weeks by the transition to summer-grade gasoline and as inventories shrink to the lowest level since December.
Energy & Environment
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Indiana cement plant among projects receiving $6B in federal funding
The Department of Energy announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector—the largest-ever U.S. investment to decarbonize domestic industry to fight climate change.
Boone County considers 2-year moratorium on new solar, wind projects
The move would come as Virginia-based Hexagon Energy develops plans for a 3,000-acre solar farm north of Jamestown in western Boone County and Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources renews interest in building a solar farm near Zionsville.
EPA issues new auto rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting EVs
The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to the same strict standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA bans asbestos, a carcinogen still used in some products
Asbestos, which was once common in home insulation and other products, is banned in more than 50 countries, and its use in the U.S. has been declining for decades.
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.
AES Indiana takes next step to stop using coal by 2026
If approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, AES Indiana would be on its way to becoming the first Hoosier investor-owned electric utility to stop burning coal, according to Indiana Utility Report.
Indiana lawmakers pass bill without controversial ‘forever chemicals’ definition
Proponents of the PFAS proposal, which included many in the chemical manufacturing industry, said the definition change is needed to preserve uses of PFAS in “essential” items like lithium batteries, laptop computers, semiconductors, pacemakers and defibrillators.
AES Indiana buys large wind farm in northwest Indiana
The Indianapolis-based utility said the acquisition would provide $22.2 million in cost savings to customers over the next six years and advance efforts to provide sustainable energy solutions.
Controversial ‘forever chemicals’ legislation could be resurrected in Indiana
Abandoned by the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee earlier this session, language that would change the definition of toxic PFAS chemicals could be inserted into another bill.
EPA delays rules for existing natural gas power plants until after November election
In a turnaround from previous plans, the agency said it will review standards for existing gas plants and expand the rules to include more pollutants.
AES Indiana names Davis-Handy president, its seventh in past decade
Brandi Davis-Handy has worked for the utility for eight years, most recently as chief customer officer.
Manufacturer-friendly ‘forever chemicals’ bill abandoned by Indiana Senate committee
The proposal sought to proactively exempt the chemicals in case state or federal regulators try to ban them in the future.
Supreme Court seems poised to halt EPA plan to cut cross-state pollution
Three states—Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia—and various industry groups asked the high court to put the EPA plans on hold while they work to defeat the rules in the lower courts.
Indiana environmentalists, manufacturers at odds over bill to protect toxic ‘forever’ chemicals
HB 1399 seeks to carve out more than 5,000 “forever chemicals” from being defined as such by the state and its environmental rules board. That means chemicals deemed harmful in other states would no longer carry the same designation in Indiana.
EPA weighs slowing shift to electric vehicles
The move comes as the Biden administration faces pressure on multiple fronts to weaken its electrification targets, in part because of slowing EV sales and also problems with public EV charging stations.
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.
Biden administration to finalize scaled back regulations on gas stoves
The move, part of a broader effort to curb planet-warming emissions from household appliances, could prompt political backlash even though it reflects a compromise with U.S. manufacturers.
EPA awards permits for Indiana carbon-sequestration project
Greg Zoeller, vice president of external affairs for Wabash Valley Resources, said the approval by the EPA is validation of about five years of work to get to this point.
Latest EPA assessment shows almost no improvement in river, stream nitrogen pollution
For decades, federal and state officials have struggled to control farm runoff, the biggest source of nutrient pollution that is not typically federally regulated.