This year, several bills were introduced that dealt with energy and the environment in Indiana. Many bills are Still awaiting Gov. Eric Holcombs signature. Here is a breakdown of which bills were passed and which failed during this legislative session.
On this page, you can find a complete list of all the bills that were proposed during the session of 2022. Site of the Indiana General Assemblys.
What happened:
SB 271: Small modular nuclear reactors
The bill would make it easier to use smaller, more advanced technologies. Construction of nuclear power plants Indiana. These plants are supported by supporters because they provide reliable, clean energy and are small enough to be safer and cheaper.
However, environmental groups and consumer advocates say small modular nuclear reactors can be a risky investment. None of the modular nuclear reactors planned have been built and many have exceeded their budgets by billions of dollars. The safety of these plants has also been questioned at the Union of Concerned Scientists. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the nuclear industry sometimes uses smaller plants to justify cutting back on safety equipment or staff and shrinking the area that would have to be evacuated in the event of a disaster. The U.S. has not yet found a way of safely storing nuclear waste long-term. This would mean that most of the waste would remain at the plant.
HB 1313 Screening children for lead poisoning
This bill offers Lead testing is required for all Indiana children younger than 6 years of age Through their doctor. Lead poisoning can cause learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and impaired kidney function in children. Indiana currently requires that all children who are covered by Medicaid be screened for lead. According to state health officials, less than half the children are actually being screened.
The state will be able better identify those most affected by lead over the next three years through this screening program. Governor Holcomb signed this law.
HB 1209: Carbon sequestration projects
Companies that pollute the environment are permitted to comply with the legislation Capture their carbon emissions, and store them underground. The bill would also require companies to obtain permission from landowners of 70% of the land and compensate those who don’t consent. As long as the company follows its permit, those property owners would not be permitted to sue for punitive damage. Some environmental advocates claim that underground carbon storage does not address the source of CO2 and can contaminate drinking water or cause earthquakes.
The state would be responsible for the CO2 once the underground storage facility is closed. This is something that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and some legislators are uncomfortable with. Senate Bill 265, which would have made Wabash Valley Resources LLC in Terre Haute exempt from liability for carbon emissions stored underground by a state pilot program, did not pass.
HB 1196: Solar power and homeowners associations
It allows a homeowner For solar panels, petition your homeowners associationThe panels would be placed on the roof of the homeowner, but the association would have the final say. The bill’s passage is a victory for rooftop solar. Since 2006, they have been trying for six years to pass a bill that would increase solar access for homeowners who belong to homeowner associations. Holcomb signed the bill into law on March 10
HB 1221 – Electric vehicles and electricity pricing
This bill would allow gas stations to sell electric vehicle charging without having to comply with state utility rules. However, it does not allow businesses to sell EV chargers. To get their energy from the local utility. Solar advocates fear that this could stop solar-powered businesses from offering cheaper, greener charging options.
This measure would allow utilities to recover money from customers to pay for public charging stations in pilot programmes. Holcomb signed the bill.
SB 411: Commercial Solar and Wind Energy
Senate Bill 411 provides guidelines for where and how solar farms can be placed in the state. Any county or township which adopts the same standards as others, such as the distance a solar farm or wind turbine must be from a house, will be considered a community that is wind- or solar-ready. But The bill removed all incentives for obtaining that title.
The original bill would have provided $1 per megawatt hour of renewable energy energy to counties, each year for a decade, thereby increasing revenues for rural areas in the state. The bill’s sponsor suggested that funding could be added to the state budget for next year. The bill was signed by Governor Holcomb March 11.
The bill would ban the state from making Wayne County residents move or put their homes up on stilts. It will help two Amish brothers who accidentally built their homes in the floodway. Wayne County failed to verify the state floodplain maps before issuing permits. But the Indiana Department of Natural Resources warns it is not law. Flood insurance could be in jeopardyIn the county and possibly in the State
Even though it was not included in this bill language that requires local floodplain officials to check state floodplain mapping when reviewing permit applications has been added. HB 1103 last-minute. This measure was also approved by the General Assembly.
This bill This reduces the number and size of damsThey fall under the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ jurisdiction. However, they also require owners of high-hazard dams that they make an emergency plan. The bill’s authors stated that dam owners must pay for maintenance to meet state standards. This can lead to long-running lawsuits against the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that can cost taxpayers money. However, engineers and environmentalists argue that it is not the right time to reduce state oversight of dams. Many dams are in danger in Indiana.
SB 147: Underground pumped hydropower storage
This bill adds this type energy storage to the state’s clean energy resources. This technology creates energy by moving water through a turbine from one reservoir to another. It is used for most utility-scale energy storage in America, but it has not been used in Indiana, which has fewer hills and valleys required to create the reservoirs. Supporters of the legislation stated that Indiana’s abandoned quarries, mines, and quarries were not affected by the legislation. This could allow the state use of this technologyThese areas will be able to reap the benefits of economic opportunity.
These bills are a cost to farmers More money to have their seed testedThe state. The Office of Indiana State Chemist charges only half the amount of private companies for testing seed for purity and germination. Officials at the agency claim that this makes it more difficult for them to provide this service. The bills would allow state chemists to keep their fees in line with industry standards, and change them more frequently. Governor Holcomb signed both bills to law.
Sign up for the Indiana Two-Way to join the conversation. Text “Indiana”, to 73224. We value your comments and questions regarding statewide issues. Are you interested in following along with our coverage during the legislative session? We have compiled all stories that our reporters published Here is the bill number and topic.
What went wrong
HB 1224 – Government investments and contracts
Indiana wouldn’t be able to do business. Banks that want to get rid of fossil fuels This bill. The bill’s author stated that banks who support clean energy discriminate against Indiana businesses by refusing to lend or invest in natural gas, oil, or coal companies.
HB 1100: Agency oversight, rule-making procedures
This bill would have This made it more difficult for state agencies to create new rules. It would have also prohibited state agencies like the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) from creating rules that are more restrictive or restrictive than any federal laws. Environmental groups stated that this is a problem since the federal government allows states to create their own more protective environmental policies in certain cases.
HB 1063: De novo review of certain agency actions
House Bill 1063 would have made changes The way that trial court judges view the factsThey review state agency decisions. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is an example of a state agency that has scientific expertise. It is charged with regulating polluters in Indiana. If industrial companies’ facts are given the same weight by IDEM officials, it will make it easier to overturn agency decision and harder for IDEM can do its job.
SB 255: Climate & environmental justice taskforce
This bill was intended to establish a task force to address climate and environmental justice issues in Indiana. Confront the Climate Crisis, a youth climate group in Indiana, helped to create the language for the bill. a Senate resolutionThis would have meant that the general assemblies would have recognized climate change as an emergency if it was passed.
SB 313 HB 1250: Community solar program
These bills would have required investor-owned utilities in order to create community solar projects. Customers can purchase into a community-based solar project by buying into community solarYou will then be credited for any excess energy it supplies to the grid. Community solar is said to provide stable energy prices for low-income residents and revitalize their communities.
SB 265: Pilot project for carbon sequestration
This bill would have protected Wabash Valley Resources LLC of Terre Haute against nuisance lawsuits from property owner during a state-sponsored pilot project. The company wants to store its emission underground, but it hasn’t started because of fear that nearby property owners will sue. It’s been almost three years ago that the pilot program was approved. This is the second time the company has attempted to pass such a bill.
SB 248 HB 1304: Distributed Energy Generation
People with solar panels are entitled to credits for any excess energy they provide to the grid through net metering. These bills would have made clear that the state wants utilities calculate excess energy by subtracting how many solar customers use from how many they produce over a month. CenterPoint and other Indiana utilities are looking to calculate this almost in real-time, only giving credits to customers for the moments when they produce more energy than what they use. This would disadvantage solar customers, according to solar advocates.
However, in the middle of the legislative sessions A court rejected CenterPoints method of calculating excess energy. It is not clear what this means for other utilities who have made similar requests.
SB 122: Annual inspection for CFOs
The bill would have required that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conduct on-site inspections of large animal farms known under the name confined feeding operations and for CFOs submit an annual report to IDEM. This bill was rejected by the Statehouse for the fourth time.
Contact Rebecca at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.
Indiana Environmental reporting is supported and supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute. It is an Indiana University Grand Challenge project that develops Indiana-specific projections as well as informed responses to problems related to environmental change.
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