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Bill boosting “distressed” wastewater infrastructure draws mixed testimony
A Senate panel on Thursday approved a bill that would let utility companies ask the state for permission to pass some wastewater infrastructure costs to regular water ratepayers. “Senate Bill 180 … creates a tool for the [Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission] to use as, essentially, a last resort option when all other solutions won’t work […]
Across the country, resistance to new renewables is mounting
BUCYRUS, Ohio — In four terms as a county elected official in northern Ohio, it was the most contentious issue Doug Weisenauer had ever seen. The state legislature had newly empowered county governments to drastically restrict wind and solar power development, a process formerly overseen by the Ohio Power Siting Board, and the meetings of […]
A Tale of Two Races: Open U.S. Senate and Indianapolis Mayor
In American politics, few truths seem evident as the presence of competition in an open primary and the importance of incumbency. Open seats naturally attract the ambitious: strategically calculating the timing as an opportunity with a higher likelihood of victory relative to the uphill battle faced by a challenger angling to unseat an incumbent. Incumbency […]
Environmentalists, utilities at odds over coal plant protections
A House committee on Tuesday advanced an overhaul of the process that state agencies use to create regulations — including some changes benefiting coal plants. The GOP-dominated committee easily approved an amendment blocking the Indiana Department of Environmental Management from imposing regulations on all coal-powered electricity generators that are stricter than federal requirements. “This language […]
Time for Indiana to plan and prepare for climate change
Ensuring security and creating an environment where Hoosiers can thrive are the most basic responsibilities of government. Climate change both threatens our security and presents economic opportunity. The Indiana Senate Environmental Affairs Committee is considering Senate Bill 335, which would create a climate solutions task force. Championed by the youth group Confront the Climate Crisis, […]
Biden in State of the Union address draws boos and shouts from a combative GOP
President Joe Biden began his State of the Union address Tuesday — his first to a divided Congress — with an appeal to bipartisan priorities, but later criticized parts of the GOP agenda and got a sense of Republicans’ appetite for conflict during one combative stretch. Biden opened the 72-minute speech with an olive branch […]
As state numbers shrink in Congress, its leadership shrinks even more
The Hoosier state was buzzing on a Saturday afternoon in February over a basketball game. The storied rivalry of Indiana and Purdue was the sports event of the weekend—in America. The top ranked Boilers were actually one-point underdogs in Bloomington on Saturday to an IU team that played a great first half and then held […]
Lawmakers advance bill to let utilities charge consumers earlier for new building projects
Indiana House lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that could encourage more natural gas in the state and allow utilities to charge ratepayers for a plant before it ever goes online. House Bill 1421 would allow utilities to use a financing option known as Construction Work in Progress, or CWIP, in which customers pay for the […]
Bills target Hoosiers with little income, farming and speed cameras
Hoosiers with a low or moderate income were the focus of several bills in the Statehouse on Monday, including tweaks to the state’s earned income tax credit, supplemental food benefits and preschool vouchers. Additionally, legislators moved bills related to cataloging state farmland and permitting speed cameras – though lawmakers still have reservations about the latter. […]
Bill requiring public retirement system to divest from ESG-following firms passes committee
A House committee on Thursday approved a bill requiring the state’s public pension system to divest from and terminate business relationships with firms or funds that use non-financial “ESG” factors in decisions, such boycotting gun manufacturers and fossil fuel companies. The prohibition is part of a GOP effort to crack down on the environmental, social […]