This year, several bills were introduced that dealt with energy and the environment in Indiana. Many bills are Still awaiting Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature. Here’s a run-down of which bills passed and failed during this year’s legislative session.
On this page, you can find a complete list of all the bills that were proposed during the session of 2022. the Indiana General Assembly’s site.
What happened?
SB 271: Small modular nuclear reactors
The bill would make it simpler for smaller, more advanced companies. Nuclear power plants to be constructed Indiana. Supporters say these plants provide reliable, clean power — and their small size makes them cheaper and safer.
Environmental groups and consumer advocates believe small modular nuclear power reactors are a risky venture for the state. None of the planned modular nuclear reactors have been built yet and many have gone over their proposed budgets — some by billions of dollars. The safety of these plants has also been questioned at the Union of Concerned Scientists. It said the nuclear industry has sometimes used the plant’s smaller size to justify cutting back on safety equipment and staff as well as shrink the area that would be told to evacuate in a disaster. The U.S. also hasn’t found a way to safely store nuclear waste long-term, so most of that waste would remain on the site of the plants.
HB 1313 Screening children for lead poisoning
This bill offers All Indiana children below 6 years old are subject to lead testing Talk to their doctor. Lead poisoning can cause learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and impaired kidney function in children. Right now, Indiana only requires kids covered by Medicaid to be screened for lead — and according to state health officials less than half of those kids are actually getting screened.
The state will be able to identify the most affected people and where they are located through the three-year screening program. Governor Holcomb signed this law.
HB 1209: Carbon sequestration projects
Companies that pollute are allowed to be covered by the legislation Capture their carbon emissions and store them underground. Among other things, the bill would require companies to get permission from owners of 70 percent of the land area and compensate those who don’t consent. Those property owners wouldn’t be allowed to sue for punitive damages as long as the company complies with its permit. Some environmental advocates say underground carbon storage doesn’t address the source of the CO2 and has the potential to contaminate drinking water or cause earthquakes.
After the underground storage facility has closed, the state would assume liability for the CO2 — something the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and some lawmakers aren’t comfortable with. However, Senate Bill 265 – which would have removed some liability for Wabash Valley Resources LLC in Terre Haute to store carbon emissions underground through a state pilot program – did not pass.
HB 1196 – Homeowners associations, solar power
It allows homeowners to petition their homeowner’s association to get solar panels on their roof – but the association would have a say in how the panels look. The bill’s passage is a victory for rooftop solar. They’ve been trying to pass a bill to allow greater access to solar for people with homeowner’s associations for six years. Holcomb signed this law on March 10
HB 1221: Electric vehicles, electricity pricing
This bill would allow gas stations to sell electric vehicle charging without having to comply with state utility rules. It does require businesses to sell EV charging. 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 for public chargers in pilot programs. Holcomb signed this bill into law.
SB 411: Commercial solar energy and wind energy
Senate Bill 411 provides guidelines for where and how solar farms can be placed in the state. Any county or township that adopts the standards — or less stringent ones — for things like how far a wind turbine or solar farm can be from a home would be deemed a wind or solar ready community. But The bill eliminated all incentives to obtain that title.
The original bill would have given counties $1 for every megawatt hour of energy generated by a renewable energy project, every year for a decade — boosting revenues for rural areas in the state. A sponsor of the bill suggested that funding could be added into the state’s budget next year. The bill was signed by Governor Holcomb on March 11.
The bill would ban the state from making Wayne County residents move or put their homes up on stilts. It is designed to assist two Amish brothers who accidentally built their homes in floodway. Wayne County did not check the state floodplain maps prior to issuing permits for the brothers. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources warns that if the bill becomes law, it will be repealed. Flood insurance could be in jeopardyIn the county, and possibly in the state.
Though it wasn’t in this bill, language that requires local floodplain administrators to check state floodplain maps when reviewing permit applications was added into HB 1103 last-minute. The General Assembly also approved this measure.
This bill Reduces the number dams that are under the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ jurisdiction, but also requires those who own high hazard dams to make an emergency action plan. Lawmakers behind the bill said people who own the dams have had to pay to maintain them to the state’s standards. It can sometimes lead to lengthy lawsuits against Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which can be costly for taxpayers. But some engineers and environmentalists have said now isn’t the time to decrease state oversight of dams. Many dams are in danger in Indiana.
SB 147: Underground pumped hydropower storage
This bill adds this type of energy storage to the state’s list of clean energy resources. This technology creates energy by moving water through a turbine from one reservoir to another. It accounts for most utility-scale energy storage in the U.S., but hasn’t been used much in Indiana — which has fewer of the hills and valleys needed to create the two reservoirs. Supporters of the legislation claimed that abandoned quarries and mines in Indiana were no longer needed. This could allow the state use of this technology — and bring economic opportunity to those areas.
These bills are charged to farmers More money to have their seed testedThe state. The Office of Indiana State Chemist can test seed for purity and germination, but charges half the price of private companies. Officials at the agency claim that this makes it more difficult for them to provide this service. The bills would allow the state’s chemist to keep fees in compliance with industry standards and make changes more frequently. Both bills were signed by Governor Holcomb.
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What went wrong
HB 1224: Government contracts and investments
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. Among other things, it would have banned state agencies — like the Indiana Department of Environmental Management — from creating a rule that’s more restrictive than any federal rules or laws. Environmental groups said that’s a problem because, in some cases, the federal government specifically lets states set their own, more protective environmental policies.
HB 1063: De novo review of certain agency actions
House Bill 1063 would have been amended The way that trial court judges view the factsThey review state agency decisions. For example, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has scientific expertise and is responsible for regulating polluters within the state. If an industrial company’s facts carry the same weight as IDEM officials, that would make it easier for industries to overturn agency decisions and harder for IDEM to 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 resolution — which, had it passed, would have meant the general assembly acknowledged climate change as a crisis.
SB 313 HB 1250: Community solar program
These bills would have required investor owned utilities to create community-solar projects. Customers can purchase into a solar project through community solarYou will then be credited for any excess energy it supplies to the grid. Supporters claim that community solar offers lower energy prices and revitalizes communities.
SB 265: Carbon sequestration pilot program
This bill would have protected Wabash Valley Resources LLC, Terre Haute, from nuisance lawsuits by property owners during a state pilot program. The company wants to store its emissions underground, but hasn’t started doing so for fear that property owners nearby will sue. It’s been nearly three years since 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 several other Indiana utilities want to calculate that almost in real time — only giving solar customers credits for those moments where they produce more energy than they use. Solar advocates claimed that this would disadvantage solar customers.
But, during the middle legislative session a court rejected CenterPoint’s way of calculating excess energy. It’s not clear what it means for other utilities that have made similar requests.
SB 122: Annual inspections of CFOs
The bill would have required Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to conduct inspections on-site of large animal farms, also known as confined feeding operation. CFOs are also required to submit an annual report. This is the fourth attempt to pass such a bill in the Statehouse.
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.
