The Indiana State House and Senate chairs of the Environmental Affairs Committees are shutting the door on life-saving legislation two years in a row.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022, Indianapolis– Two state bills that would begin to clean up the environmental disaster of toxic leaking coal ash pits across the state are set to die in committee without support from Indiana’s environmental chairmen. Bipartisan-supported SB 412 would ensure clean and safe disposal of all Indiana’s leaking coal ash sites; HB 1335 would offer the same protections and institute crucial environmental justice protections and ratepayer impacts.

Yesterday, Representative Mike Speedy held the only House Environmental Affairs Committee hearing of this session. Although the chairman allowed Representative Boy to remark about House Bill 1335 (co-authored by Representative Maureen Bauer), he decided not to hold a hearing on the bill. Senate Bill 412 (authored by Senators Rodney Pol and Susan Glick) sits in the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee. On Thursday, the bill will die in committee if Chairman Mark Messmer does not hear it. 

Ashley Williams, Executive Director for Just Transition NWI responded with the following:

“Indiana’s utility companies have tried to bury this crisis. We shouldn’t be the ones sounding the alarms in the Indiana Legislature, but we are left with no choice. We have tirelessly advocated for coal ash impacted communities for more than two years. There is no better time to strengthen regulations as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management finalizes its state permitting program. However, expectedly, the recent favorable federal EPA ruling on coal ash is being used as a convenient excuse for negligence.

This is a dereliction of duty to the citizens of Indiana, who want to live and see their children grow up in a healthy environment. It is fiscally irresponsible to ignore the economic benefits of cleaning up coal ash, where millions of dollars could be infused into the state’s GDP and invested in family-sustaining, union jobs.”

Susan Thomas, Director of Legislation and Policy for Just Transition NWI responded as well: 

“We echo the outrage of the inheritors of this crisis, Indiana’s youth: student-led Confront the Climate Crisis, whose statewide campaign garnered overwhelming support for their bipartisan bills, Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 and Senate Bill 255. These bills have also been ignored by Senator Messmer, who has demonstrated a blatant pattern of inaction as the Senate environmental chairman. 

As this emergency compounds, we must demand our legislators take this coal ash crisis seriously. We cannot afford further inaction while the health of our economy, communities, and environment continue to pay the ultimate price.”

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About Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI): JTNWI is a grassroots environmental justice organization serving Northwest Indiana (NWI), whose mission is to educate and organize NWI communities and workers; to give voice to their stories, and support a just transition to a regenerative economy that protects the environment, climate, and future generations. For more information, visit: www.jtnwi.org