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.
Environment
Articles
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.
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.
Bat protections might not interfere with reservoir plan
There's a chance a proposed reservoir in central Indiana won't be affected by recent protective measures enacted for a species of bat by the federal government.
EPA adds Kokomo site to priority cleanup list
A nearly 300-acre plume of tainted groundwater in Kokomo has been added to the federal Superfund program's priority list that seeks to move along investigations of industrial contamination.
House panel passes utility energy-efficiency bill
An Indiana House committee has approved a proposal that would reduce state oversight of the energy-efficiency programs of major utilities.
Bill to ban microbeads headed to governor’s office
Legislation that would prevent the sale of any products containing microbeads in Indiana, is headed to the governor’s office for final approval.
Ball State professors poke holes in Mounds Lake study
A state-funded feasibility study for creating a reservoir on the White River north of Indianapolis severely underestimates the cost of the project, according to a group of Ball State University professors who conducted a peer review of the study.
Lawsuit over Covanta recycling center plan set for hearing
The plaintiffs—two paper companies and a local citizen—hope Marion Superior Judge Cynthia Ayers will halt the city's long-term contract with incinerator operator Covanta, which plans to build a new recycling facility on Harding Street.
Ballard: Polluters dawdling on brownfield cleanup
The owners of more than 20 polluted industrial sites in Indianapolis are hiding behind the legal protections of a state-run voluntary program to delay cleanup, Mayor Greg Ballard alleges in a letter to state regulators.
Young firm aims to clean up in ‘green’ laundry niche
Brandon Evans and Andrew Insley hope their laundry detergent startup sets itself apart from the crowded field of competitors that say they use “natural” ingredients. Their point of differentiation: truly making good on that claim.
Senate panel advances bill to ban microbeads
Senate Commerce and Technology Committee members voted 6-0 Thursday to advance the measure that would gradually phase out the sale and production of cosmetics with microbeads. The House unanimously passed the legislation last month.
Engineer says Mounds Lake Reservoir plan has fatal flaws
Plans to create Indiana's first new reservoir in more than four decades are fatally flawed because there would be no buyer for its water for 35 years, the former director of engineering for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says.
Senate leader puts fenced-hunting bill on hold
The leader of the Indiana Senate said Wednesday that a bill to legalize and regulate fenced deer hunting will remain in the rules committee he controls until the GOP caucus finds a solution “that’s fair and reasonable.”
Record beef prices not expected to ease any time soon
After shrinking supply sent beef costs surging last year, the government still expects output to drop to a 22-year low in 2015.
U.S. charges Duke with illegal pollution from coal ash dumps
Duke Energy said Friday that it has already negotiated a plea agreement under which it will admit guilt and pay $102 million in fines, restitution and community service.
New Indy transit center balances utility, dignity, design
The team charged with designing and engineering downtown’s $20 million transit center—which has begun to emerge south of Washington Street between Delaware and Alabama streets—took on three core challenges.
Study shows no big issues over proposed Indiana reservoir
The state-funded study looked at the cost and environmental impact of the proposed 2,100-acre Mounds Lake reservoir, which would be formed by putting an earthen dam on the White River in Anderson, with an estimated cost of $440 million.