Indiana House backs slowing coal power plant closures
The Indiana House narrowly endorsed Monday a proposal aimed at making it more difficult for Indiana electric companies to close more coal-fired power plants.
Environmental Issues
Articles
Public forum to push for lead legislation as bills stall
With the deadline looming in the Statehouse for bills to pass through committee, the Greater Indianapolis NAACP Branch #3053 is sustaining the pressure on the Legislature to address the risks of lead poisoning in children.
Lawsuit against IU over dorm mold given class-action status
A judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit alleging Indiana University breached its contract by providing substandard living assignments to thousands of students staying in residential halls where mold was found.
Groups want tougher U.S. Steel fine for Lake Michigan spill
The leaders of 18 environmental and civic groups have joined a push for U.S. Steel to face tougher penalties over a spill of hazardous substances from a northwestern Indiana plant into Lake Michigan.
Indiana proposes new sulfur dioxide limit for E. Chicago plant
Indiana regulators have set proposed new pollution limits for a steel plant in East Chicago that’s considered one of the region’s worst polluters.
Environmental groups sue steel mill over lake chemical spill
Two environmental groups are suing a steelmaker for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act at its northwestern Indiana facility more than 100 times in the past five years, including an August spill that killed more than 3,000 fish.
Justices seem uncertain about reach of Clean Water Act
The United States Supreme Court seems uncertain about how to decide a closely watched case from Hawaii about the reach of landmark federal clean-water protections.
Big case hits the big screen: Taft lawyer’s DuPont suit attracts star power
A Taft Stettinius & Hollister attorney who successfully took on one of the world’s most powerful chemical manufacturers in a major toxic contamination case is being featured on the big screen as he continues to bring awareness to an issue he says is a global heath threat.
Judge rules Miami County must pay for repairs to 6 dams
A judge has ruled that a northern Indiana county must pay for repairs to six aging dams in a lake-filled housing development.
7th Circuit affirms CERCLA ruling in Beech Grove lead cleanup
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court’s ruling against a Beech Grove manufacturing company over who should bear the costs of cleaning up a contaminated lead smelter site.
Ethanol producer blames Cloverdale plant closure on Trump EPA
The owner of a western Indiana ethanol plant is blaming its shutdown on the Trump administration allowing some refineries to not blend ethanol with gasoline as required under federal law.
Reversal: USDA farm wetlands ruling arbitrary and capricious
A Hancock County farm family denied U.S. Department of Agriculture benefits since the removal of nine trees from their farm in the 1990s prevailed in litigation against the agency. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals entered judgment for the family, finding USDA’s rulings in the case arbitrary and capricious.
Reversal: Man can’t build concrete seawall on lake property
A man’s permission to build a concrete wall on his northern Indiana lakefront property has been halted now that the Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court’s reversal of his denied application.
Charlestown zoo owner must keep big cats during animal-rights case
A federal judge is doubling down on an animal-rights ruling that prohibits the owners of a southern Indiana zoo from moving its large cats out of its possession, though the judge stopped short of issuing sanctions for an alleged failure to follow that order.
Despite objections, 9,200-head hog farm moves forward in Miami County
A proposed 9,200-head hog farm is moving forward in northern Indiana despite opposition from residents who say it will hurt property values and environmentalists worried about its proximity to a large reservoir.
Duke Energy sued for 2014 coal ash spill environmental harm
The federal, North Carolina and Virginia governments asked a court Thursday to declare the country’s largest electricity company liable for environmental damage from a leak five years ago that left miles of a river shared by the two states coated in hazardous coal ash.
Complex questions about justice center site safety concern prosecutor, public defender
Since the Marion County judges hired their own environmental consultant to review the remediation plans for the property where the new justice center is slated to be built, the Marion County prosecutor and public defender offices have started raising their own concerns about the level of contamination and safety of their workers.
Fired whistleblower’s case against IDEM reinstated, remanded
A long-running dispute between the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and a terminated employee has been partially revived after a panel of appellate judges agreed the former worker could have been held personally liable for misuse of state funds.
Indiana Republicans push for moratorium on new power plants
In a sudden legislative move that is raising alarms for utilities and environmentalists alike, Indiana Republicans want to put a moratorium on new, large power plants just as several large electrical providers are gearing up to retire aging coal-fired generating units and replace them with renewable energy and natural gas.
Federal disaster relief discussed at IU McKinney symposium
Where do Hoosiers stand in regard to disaster relief preparedness? An Ice Miller partner posed that question during an environmental symposium hosted by the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.