Utility energy-efficiency bill signed into Indiana law
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence approved a measure Wednesday to allow major utility companies to develop their own efficiency programs and charge customers to implement them.
Energy & Environment
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Pence signs bill loosening Indiana rules on wine sales
Supporters of the change say it will boost Indiana wineries and give wine consumers more choices. Sponsors say 41 other states currently have similar rules on wine shipments.
Calumet Specialty opens massive refinery in North Dakota
Indianapolis-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners built the Dakota Prairie Refinery near Dickinson as part of a joint venture with Bismarck-based MDU Resources Group. It is the first greenfield fuels refinery to open in the United States in nearly 40 years.
Local environmental firm planning expansion
Locally based Environmental Forensic Investigations Inc. plans to move into a larger headquarters near downtown, doubling its employment to 84 over the next five years.
Three brothers plead guilty to massive biofuels scam
Chad and Craig Ducey of Fishers and Chris Ducey of North Webster have pleaded guilty to participating in a biofuels scam that federal investigators are calling “one of the largest tax and securities fraud schemes in Indiana history.”
Vectren apologizes for errors on natural gas bills
Vectren will meet with some of its natural gas customers to apologize for an error that led to March bills that were more than $200 higher than a year ago in some cases.
Formula E series could race at Speedway
The all-electric Formula E race series has been so successful in its first year that some insiders are talking about its cars competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and even filling the grid of the Indianapolis 500.
Environmentalists fight broader use of Dow Agro herbicide
Environmentalists are contesting the federal government's decision to allow more widespread use of a new version of a popular weed killer to be used on genetically modified corn and soybeans.
Wet spring slows field preparation for Indiana farmers
Indiana farmers are preparing for some "hectic" days ahead as they make up delays caused by wet fields from persistent rains earlier this month.
Senate shoots down bill regulating fenced-in deer hunting
The Indiana Senate has narrowly voted down a proposal to legalize high-fenced preserves where farm-raised deer are hunted, officially killing any movement on the issue for this session.
Senate passes resolution opposing tougher ozone limits
Indiana lawmakers say the tougher federal standards on smog-forming pollution will harm the state's economy.
Turbine maker to pay up after missing hiring goal
An Italian wind-turbine maker is expected to pay a central Indiana county $375,000 for failing to meet a goal of hiring 200 workers by the end of 2014.
Brevini pays $375K to Delaware County for unmet jobs
An Italian wind turbine maker is expected to pay a central Indiana county $375,000 for failing to meet a goal of hiring 200 workers by the end of 2014.
Energy-efficiency bill headed to Pence for signature
Senate Bill 412, authored by Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, is meant to replace the costly Energizing Indiana program, which the General Assembly canceled last year over the objections of environmental groups.
AgReliant plans $4 million expansion at Westfield headquarters
AgReliant Genetics LLC’s expansion is expected to help it retain 54 employees in Westfield and add another 31 jobs at the site during the next 10 years.
Prosecutors: Man in biodiesel scam made death threats
Prosecutors say a suspect in a $90 million biodiesel scam in central Indiana made threats to harm or kill people who might give evidence against him.
Texas company eyes 3 counties for wind farms
Representatives of Houston-based EDP Renewable told Wayne County commissioners Wednesday the company will study parts of Wayne, Randolph and Henry counties as possible wind farm locations.
Duke funds underwrite renewable energy study
Duke Energy Indiana contributed $1 million to a new research initiative on the storage of energy created by renewable sources.
Untested ‘one-bin’ trash/recycling solution on way
Under a plan by Indianapolis and Covanta, consumers would throw everything into one trash bin and automated sorting equipment would pluck out recyclables. Opponents say the early experience of Montgomery, Alabama, provides evidence that the sorting technology isn’t effective.
Energy-efficiency bill advances to governor
Senate Bill 412 reflects Gov. Mike Pence’s policy on energy efficiency, which he promised to craft after allowing the Energizing Indiana program to be terminated in 2014.