Every year when the list of new bills<\/a> for the Indiana legislative session posts, Hoosiers may feel dizzy with deja vu.<\/p>\n Various bills \u2014 ones that would protect the environment and Hoosiers from pollution, develop solutions to a changing climate or ensure consumers\u2019 utility bills stay affordable \u2014 keep popping up year after year. And over and over again, they have died<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n During recent legislative sessions, dozens of bills with a stated aim of safeguarding the environment and public health have failed to pass out of committee. Others never even received a hearing<\/a>. In fact, during the 2021 session, the House Environmental Affairs Committee did not meet once<\/a> in the first half of session, despite having more than 10 bills to look at.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n While advocates and some lawmakers say these bills are important to solve environmental problems, others question at what cost. Throughout the years, some groups and legislators have raised concerns over the potential impacts additional laws could have on industry throughout the state. Such pushback and lack of urgency has kept many environment-related bills stagnant.<\/p>\n There are several environmental topics<\/a> in particular that continue to see related bills time and again \u2014 their authors and advocates stress the need to keep pushing until the community and legislature understand their importance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n \u201cI want to give a shout-out to Hoosiers who are organizing and pushing in their grassroots efforts to see some change in Indiana,\u201d said Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Bloomington Democrat who serves on both the Senate\u2019s Utilities and Environmental committees. Yoder herself has proposed similar bills more than once in back-to-back sessions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana general assembly:<\/strong>Toxic pollution, fossil fuels, floodplains \u2014 Top environmental bills to watch this session<\/a><\/p>\n\n \u201cI know that it can be hard to keep pushing on environmental and climate topics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Here are seven environmental topics that have continued to fall short in the Indiana General Assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n The majority of Indiana\u2019s electricity has, and continues to, come from coal. When coal is burned, it produces a byproduct: coal ash. That needs to be stored somewhere, and Indiana has more coal ash ponds than any other state in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Coal ash contains an alphabet soup of toxic chemicals including mercury, arsenic, cadmium and other heavy metals that pollute waterways, poison wildlife and can cause respiratory illnesses among people who live near these ponds, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana is among the worst states in the country when it comes to cleaning up its toxic coal ash pits, a report from last year<\/a> found. Extensive IndyStar coverage has detailed the issues and compliance failures at 16 leaking ash disposal sites across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why environmental experts, advocates and even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say states need to clean them up. While other states are taking steps to safely and cleanly close these pits<\/a>, advocates say Indiana is not.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bills have been proposed to move Indiana in that direction and help the state establish goals and requirements around cleaning up coal ash since 2021, but they haven’t received a hearing. Utilities have maintained they are following federal guidelines, and the industry has said “clean closure” \u2014\u00a0similar to what’s proposed in the bills \u2014 can be very expensive.<\/p>\n\n Rep. Pat Boy, who has ash ponds in her district and has proposed cleanup bills, was previously told her bill \u201cwas the only bill worth hearing,\u201d she said, \u201cand I was really excited because it\u2019s a really important topic for the whole state.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But her bill was never heard: \u201cIt\u2019s really frustrating,\u201d the Democrat from Northwest Indiana previously told IndyStar.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boy and other lawmakers are at it again and the Senate bill has bipartisan authors.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are as many as 1 million septic systems in Indiana \u2014 not just in the rural areas of the state, but also in urban areas including Indianapolis. Still, there are very few records on all the systems that exist, let alone their condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n The Indiana State Department of Health estimates that as many as 200,000<\/a> of these systems are inadequate and are failing to protect environmental and public health. Some environmental organizations think the problem might be much worse: estimating that anywhere from 30% to 70% of septic systems in any given county are failing.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the state, it\u2019s estimated that every failing septic system can discharge more than 76,000 gallons of untreated wastewater<\/a> into Indiana\u2019s groundwaters and surface waters every year. That means the failing systems are introducing, at minimum, approximately 15 billion gallons of raw sewage into the environment on an annual basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are harmful bacteria such as E. Coli in that waste, and ISDH lists more than a dozen different diseases as being caused by sewage or sewage contaminated water.\u00a0<\/p>\n The White River:<\/strong>Sewer overflow cleanup follows decades of civil rights abuses. Now who will benefit?<\/a><\/p>\n However, there is no state requirement for inspections of septic systems and only a few individual counties have ordinances for inspections.\u00a0Bills that would establish inspection requirements for septics when a house is sold or property is transferred have been proposed for at least the last five years.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think any of us would be OK to say we are dealing with human waste in our water,\u201d said Christian Freitag, executive director of the Conservation Law Center at Indiana University. \u201cThe time of transfer is a solution \u2014 it might not be the magic wand to fix everything, but it\u2019s something.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, some in the real estate industry are concerned about how an inspection requirement could impact home sales.<\/p>\n A set of septic inspection bills are back again, both authored by Republicans.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the fourth straight year, Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, has proposed requiring annual inspections of some large farms. The bill applies to CAFOs, or confined animal feeding operations<\/a> \u2014 defined in the bill as operations with at least 300 cattle, 600 swine or sheep, 30,000 fowl or 500 horses.<\/p>\n The bill would require the Department of Environmental Management to review each operation\u2019s self-produced report outlining the operations of the CAFOs and associated manure structures. IDEM would then conduct on-site inspections to verify the submitted report.<\/p>\n IDEM currently conducts visits to CAFOs one time every five years or in response to a complaint.<\/p>\n The environmental concerns over CAFOs include pollution discharge from manure and wastewater, according to advocates. These discharges have been found to contain nitrogen and phosphorus, pathogens, hormones and antibiotics.<\/p>\n People who run these farms, however, are quick to point out that they comply with a variety of environmental laws already and oppose further regulation, expressing concerns on how it would impact operations. Some say the state regulations currently in place are sufficient.<\/p>\n\n CAFOs without discharges do not need to apply for pollution permits, but those that do will need to put together a nutrient management plan for the runoff pollutants.<\/p>\n Climate change solutions in Indiana are still being handled piecemeal across local governments<\/a>, institutions and nonprofits despite efforts to organize a state task force.<\/p>\n Last year, bills in both the House and Senate sought to form a state-run task force to focus on Indiana\u2019s adaptation to the changing climate. Neither was even heard in committee<\/a>. The state’s General Assembly also failed to pass a resolution last year acknowledging climate change as a serious problem for the state.<\/p>\n These efforts to establish a state focus on climate change were the result of a youth movement out of Lafayette called Confront the Climate Crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other bills focused on studying carbon emissions and green industries have also failed to pass.<\/p>\n Indiana is a heavy manufacturing and industrial state, and concerns have been voiced about whether efforts to curb emissions could harm this major sector of Indiana’s economy.<\/p>\n\n Still, there are renewed efforts this year to bring climate change solutions to the statehouse, acknowledging the growth opportunities in green industries. Some of this year’s bills have bipartisan authors.<\/p>\n Ever since the Flint water crisis several years ago, lead has been at the forefront of many people\u2019s minds. And there are multiple pathways of exposure, including paint, soil, water and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lead poisoning is known to cause a variety of devastating adverse health impacts<\/a>: development delays and learning disabilities, fatigue, pain throughout the body, behavioral issues and more. Medical experts have said there is no safe level of lead.<\/p>\n\n Indiana legislators passed a law<\/a> in 2020 that required testing drinking water in schools for lead. But that requirement applied only to school buildings serving kindergarten through grade 12 \u2014 it did not include testing in pre-kindergarten and day care centers. Children are most vulnerable when they are younger and their brains are developing.\u00a0<\/p>\n That means numerous students across the state are left unprotected, according to experts and advocates. Since the law passed in 2020, there have been bills each year \u2014 ultimately unsuccessful \u2014 that would expand the testing requirement to those younger children.<\/p>\n Still, some concerns persist on how to pay for both the testing as well as remediation needed when high levels are detected. Advocates worry those questions have slowed progress.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that parents who have their children in those facilities would have a lot of appreciation that we will care enough about these children to want to do the right thing,\u201d said Rep. Carolyn Jackson, a Democrat from Hammond who authored the 2020 law and unsuccessful bills since.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Jackson is trying again this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl, are widespread and long-lasting chemicals used to make products and coatings that are heat resistant and repel water and oil. These chemicals can be found in clothing, nonstick cooking surfaces and other consumer items.<\/p>\n Due to how widely the chemicals are used and how long they last in the environment, PFAS are found in water, air and soil around the world, according to the EPA. They then end up in people and animals in low levels.<\/p>\n Current research suggests exposure to high levels of PFAS can cause health concerns<\/a> including decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, increased cancer risk and reduced immune systems.<\/p>\n The Indiana legislature, since 2020, has tried passing a number of bills to reduce PFAS exposure and gain a better understanding of how widespread contamination may be. One, which prohibits some firefighting foams from containing intentionally added PFAS<\/a>, has become law.<\/p>\n One problem Indiana faced while retiring PFAS-laden firefighting foam was prohibitive disposal costs. To combat the issue, Gov. Holcomb set aside $1.5 million to kickstart the program. But costs of PFAS regulation continue to be a concern.<\/p>\n This year, the legislature is looking at three bills regarding PFAS.<\/p>\n Indiana used to have some of the lowest energy utility bills in the country but now finds itself in the middle of the pack as costs for customers continue to rise.\u00a0<\/p>\n There have long been a variety of bills geared toward protecting utility consumers, helping to provide more options for them as well as keep their bills affordable. These bills have shown up in a variety of ways: energy efficiency, distributed generation such as rooftop and community solar, net metering and consumer protections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advocates say distributed solar can help consumers be more independent<\/a>, access cleaner energy and potentially lower bills.\u00a0They add that reinstating some type of net metering<\/a>, which credits customers for the energy they send back to the grid, can make solar more accessible to a greater number of residents.<\/p>\n Indiana electricity:<\/strong>Utility companies, Indiana offer billing assistance for winter home heating<\/a><\/p>\n And consumer protection bills would require utilities to provide more information on disconnections and arrearages<\/a> as well as establish different billing options and flexibility for customers that need assistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never been clear to us on why these types of consumer protection bills don\u2019t get heard,\u201d said Kerwin Olson, the executive director of the consumer advocacy group Citizens Action Coalition. \u201cThese are very good bills with very important protections.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Utilities, however, have said there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution across their different consumer bases and have raised concerns on the costs of some of these programs.<\/p>\n There are several bills this year renewing efforts to give more options and protections for energy utility consumers.<\/p>\n Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or email at\u00a0sarah.bowman@indystar.com<\/a>. Follow her on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>: @IndyStarSarah. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment\u00a0reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com.\u00a0Follow him on Twitter\u00a0@karlstartswithk<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Connect with IndyStar\u2019s environmental reporters:\u00a0Join\u00a0The Scrub on Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nCoal ash pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Septic system inspections<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Factory farm inspections<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Climate task force and solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Lead testing in schools<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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PFAS pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Energy consumer protections<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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