Articles

Decision by SCOTUS might slow transition to cleaner energy

The Supreme Court ruling limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants could have far-reaching consequences for the energy sector—and make it harder for the Biden administration to meet its goal of having the U.S. power grid run on clean energy by 2035.

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Janzen: Real estate laws hurting climate change fight?

Midwestern farms are sitting on an untapped resource to meet climate change goals, namely, millions of acres of farmland that have always been farmed to maximize production. Soil and climate scientists are finding that with some production changes, such as planting cover crops during fallow periods to ensure soil is always pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, farmers can increase soil uptake of carbon in farmland.

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Kelln and Harrell: Could Title VI force change in IN enviro policies?

Conceptually, environmental justice is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” The concept of environmental justice is not new, but came to the forefront during the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan, lead-contaminated drinking water crisis. However, environmental justice never became a coherent strategy and was overshadowed by significant rulemakings around climate change. That has changed in the first year of the Biden administration.

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Lawmakers lay groundwork for electric-vehicle infrastructure

Indiana lawmakers are working to set up the first regulatory framework for utilities to build charging stations and other wide-scale infrastructure needed to support Hoosiers’ conversion to electric vehicles. House Bill 1221 outlines parameters for the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to use when considering utility company proposals for the construction of charging stations and setting […]

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Ohio lawmakers look to repeal subsidy for coal plant in Madison

Some lawmakers in the Ohio Legislature want to end a subsidy for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants — including one in Indiana — that have cost state electric customers more than $340 million thus far and leave them on the hook for hundreds of millions more, thanks to a tainted energy bill that led to the biggest corruption scandal in state history.

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