(and to) do this at the end of the legislative process so that that provision can pass through with little public input or oversight.” “They want to build, to enrich without care for drinking water quality, flood mitigation or critical wildlife habitat. “It’s clear Republicans are beholden to special interests and want to line their pockets no matter the cost,” the joint statement said. Builders and developers previously supported bills to decrease Indiana’s wetlands, which they say limit their construction abilities. He is a member of the Indiana Builders Association. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, who offered the amendment in committee. Shortly after the meeting concluded, Democrats on the committee fired back and criticized the move in a joint statement. (From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources)īut Wednesday’s amendment came “so late” that Democrats said they didn’t have time to review it, despite its controversial nature – as detailed in a story from the Indianapolis Business Journal. Wetlands at the Crooked Lake Nature Preserve. The 2021 bill had to be watered down after it attempted to narrow the definition of wetlands and reduced protections to the resource, prompting even state regulatory officials to push back. The original Senate Bill 414 detailed the storage of residential sewage but Wednesday’s wetlands addition closely mirrors a 2021 bill that activated environmental groups, who rallied to defeat the proposal. Eric Holcomb signed a bill to recover “unexpected” additional costs from customers. Meanwhile, the state’s biggest utility – and frequent campaign donor – Duke Energy already called upon a court to review a crucial ruling less than 24 hours after the House passed and Gov. Because the topic was unrelated and no notice was given, opponents had limited opportunity to give public testimony - a critical part of the legislative process. On Wednesday, a House environmental committee opted to add controversial wetlands language to a Senate bill on sewage systems. “We are allowing the investor-owned utilities and others to run amuck at the Statehouse, all to the detriment of consumers, our environment and the public interest in general.” “It’s shocking the extent to which the monied special interests are controlling the legislative process right now and dictating the outcomes,” said Kerwin Olson, with the Citizens Action Coalition. Environmental activists decried the legislative process for two bills Thursday, saying they clearly benefited some of the state’s most powerful while harming the average Hoosier.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |