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.
Environment
Articles
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.
Solar industry plots cooperative strategy
Imagine seeing the price of gas drop 50 percent, then finding out you couldn’t take advantage because of a law that excluded drivers who lease their vehicles or whose fuel tank is on the wrong side.
Energy-conservation legislation easily passes Senate
The bill, authored by Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, would replace the Energizing Indiana program, which the General Assembly canceled last year over the objection of environmental groups.
Farm income heading toward third straight annual decline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects 2015 net-cash income from all farm activity at below $100 billion, the lowest since 2010.
State panel backs legalizing fenced-in hunting preserves
Indiana’s four current high-fenced deer-hunting preserves would be the only ones allowed in the state under a bill endorsed by a legislative committee.
House panel backs bill seeking to boost industrial hemp crop
The House agriculture committee unanimously passed the proposal that would specify the exemption of industrial hemp from its illegal cousin marijuana to include the "fiber, seeds, resin, and oil or any other compound," from an industrial hemp plant.
Senate panel delays bill targeting livestock farm limits
Indiana lawmakers on Monday chose to hold off on a bill that would limit local governments' control over large livestock farms and instead replaced it with a proposal for further research.
Senate panel passes energy-efficiency utility bill
The Senate Utilities Committee voted 7-3 Thursday in approving a bill that would reduce state oversight of major utility companies' energy-efficiency programs.
Indiana Senate panel endorses farmland tax relief bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 6-0 on Monday for a bill that would require property assessors to use 2011 soil-quality figures in this year's land-value determinations.