Indiana in natural gas dilemma
‘Fracking’ has made natural gas cheap and abundant, but prices could rise with demand, costing consumers.
EPA
Articles
Nation’s green-power push has secret, dirty costs
The consequences from the ethanol era are so severe that environmentalists and many scientists have now rejected corn-based ethanol as bad environmental policy. But the Obama administration stands by it, highlighting its economic benefits to the farming industry.
IDEM chief: Fed rules essentially ban new coal plants
The commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Thomas Easterly, told lawmakers that the pending federal regulations will essentially rule out coal-fired power plants that currently generate much of the state’s electricity.
Marion, four other Indiana counties exceed new EPA standard
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says parts of central Indiana's Marion and Morgan counties, southwestern Indiana's Daviess and Pike counties and western Indiana's Vigo County exceed the agency's beefed-up sulfur dioxide standard.
Indy gets $1.6M from EPA to address brownfields
Indianapolis is launching a new strategy devoted to cleaning up abandoned industrial sites and sparking development in some of the capital city's most blighted neighborhoods.
EPA seeks to add Keystone property to Superfund list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed adding three sites in Indiana—including one in Indianapolis—to its highest priority cleanup list for hazardous waste sites.
Top Indiana wind farm drafts bat-protection plan
The operators of Indiana's largest wind farm are proposing changing the nighttime operations of the farm's 300-plus wind turbines to protect endangered Indiana bats from being killed by the turbines' spinning blades.
Proposed Indiana reservoir would face several reviews
Indiana's Department of Homeland Security and several divisions of the Department of Natural Resources would have to review the 2,000-acre reservoir proposal, as would the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
CountryMark paying $18 million for pollution controls
Government officials alleged Indianapolis-based CountryMark violated the law when the oil refiner expanded operations without obtaining proper permits and installing necessary pollution controls.
Cummins gets EPA approval for key engine
Cummins Inc. has received the Environmental Protection Agency’s blessing on a redesigned engine that will meet the first-ever set of federal standards for heavy-duty truck emissions.
Sierra Club pressures utilities to find alternatives to coal
Dave Menzer, director of the Sierra Club’s new “Beyond Coal” campaign in Indiana, aims to spark discussion about the health and environmental costs of the state’s bituminous bounty that for years has brought relatively cheap electric rates.
Plant upgrades might cost IPL nearly $1 billion
New federal mercury-reduction regulations may force Indianapolis Power & Light to spend nearly $1 billion to upgrade its coal-fired electric plants scattered around Indiana. Duke Energy is mulling everything from plant upgrades to shutting down older units.
State power rates could increase 14 percent under new rules
An analysis prepared for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission predicts new federal clean air regulations will raise electricity rates in the state by about 14 percent by 2020 because of necessary upgrades to coal-fired power plants.
Hoosier Environmental Council monitoring three bills in General Assembly
The state’s largest green group is seeking changes to measures it says could strip funding and oversight for environmental protection.
Daniels praises delay of federal pollution rule
Gov. Mitch Daniels is praising a court ruling that's delayed an Obama administration regulation aimed at reducing power plant pollution in 27 states that contributes to unhealthy air downwind.
Utility counselor seeks reprieve on coal plant emissions
In a letter to the EPA, Indiana's utility consumer counselor says the three-year timetable threatens the safety and reliability of Indiana's power supply while ignoring the high cost of compliance.
Refrigerant company fights EPA over rules
Jim Tieken, a former refrigeration repairman, invented an alternative to the coolant Freon when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned it in the mid-1990s. But his company might be unable to continue making that alternative, Hot Shot, because of cap-and-trade burdens, according to a letter Tieken sent the EPA in May.
Carrier counts on new environmental regulations to drive sales
Carrier Corp.’s plan to invest $36.5 million in its Indianapolis plant hinges in part on how well consumers take to a new platform of high-efficiency furnaces.
Senators propose immediate end to ethanol credit
Two senators from ethanol-producing states proposed Thursday to immediately end a tax credit for the corn-based fuel and agreeing to support shifting some of that money to debt reduction.
Duke uncertain about impact of Indiana unit shutdown
Officials at Duke Energy don't know how soon they will be able to shut down two coal-burning units at a southern Indiana power plant after deciding to drop a multimillion-dollar project to convert them to natural gas.