ICV Legislative Update: Week of January 31, 2025
This year marked the first of many Water Stewardship Days! On Jan. 28, we brought together Hoosiers from across the state at the Statehouse to talk about water issues they cared about the most.
Our speakers emphasized the importance of a comprehensive, thoughtful water plan, preserving our natural resources like wetlands and maintaining water quality and quantity for humans and animals alike as we move forward and continue to welcome economic growth.
State Sen. Spencer Deery, Jill Hoffman of the White River Alliance, John Mundell of Mundell and Associates and Dan Boritt of the Indiana Wildlife Federation shared their thoughts on the progress we are seeing in the Statehouse and what else we can do to support water issues. Thank you to all of you who joined us, and we look forward to seeing even more of you next year!
Also this week, our Community and Government Affairs Manager testified in the Senate Utilities committee to support Senate Bill 422, which addresses advanced transmission technologies. These technologies can help make Indiana’s grid more resilient, reliable and efficient by better responding to adverse weather conditions and energy demand while avoiding short-term renewable energy curtailment—a common sense policy that will help ratepayers by improving efficiency.
BILLS WE ARE WATCHING
👀 House Bill 1628: Property Development Matters. This bill includes language that limits local control of siting for energy generation facilities, water and gas pipelines, and transmission projects. HB 1628 scheduled for a hearing in House Utilities Committee on Feb. 4 at 10:30 am.
🛑 OPPOSE: House Bill 1037: Storm water management. This bill would remove the ability for localities to establish stormwater permits for constructions projects under an acre. This could result in significantly increased pollution and reduce water quality across the state. HB 1037 passed out of House Environmental Affairs Committee and will be heard in the House for second reading on Feb. 3 at 1:30pm.
BILL UPDATES
✅ SUPPORT: House Bill 1371 and House Bill 1581/Senate Bill 541 legislation to enable community solar in Indiana. Contact your legislator and urge them to support community solar by hearing the bill.
✅ SUPPORT: Senate Bill 422: supporting technologies to make our energy grid more efficient and reliable for the future. Contact your Senator and urge them to support SB 422.
✅ SUPPORT: House Bill 1553: implements a reporting requirement for polluters of PFAS, and a testing and reporting requirement for landowners who would apply biosolids to their land.
😐 NEUTRAL: Senate Bill 425 Energy Production Zones. This bill includes language to incentivize land re-use for new energy projects by limiting local control of project siting. We would like to see the bill include a community benefits agreement informed by the public input collected. This bill was heard on Thursday and held by the Chairman. We expect more work to be done before it appears on the committee schedule again. Contact your Senator, especially if they serve on the Senate Utilities Committee, and urge them to support adding a community benefits agreement to SB 425.
😐 NEUTRAL: Senate Bill 4: establishing a permitting structure for significant water withdrawals, currently excluding the LEAP district and most groundwater withdrawals. SB 4 was amended and passed this week in Senate Utilities Committee. The amendments do not address our concerns, so we remain neutral.
🛑 OPPOSE: Senate Bills 423/424 contains identical language that creates a pathway for utilities to bill ratepayers up front for SMR project development costs. SB 423 and SB 424 will be voted on by the full Senate as early as Monday, Feb. 3. Take action by contacting your Senator using our form below or by calling their office to oppose these pieces of legislation.
🛑 OPPOSE: House Bill 1007 shifts costs of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) and outdated coal generation costs on to ratepayers. As amended and passed out of the Utilities Committee: the SMR manufacturing tax credit of 20% means an estimated $280 million minimum of taxpayer money will be spent per SMR manufactured in the state and the bill allows utilities to charge ratepayers for utility losses if the state forces utilities to keep burning dirty, expensive coal. HB 1007 was recommitted to the Ways and Means Committee, meaning we have more time to contact members of the Ways and Means Committee! Take action by contacting your Representative using our form below or by calling their office to oppose HB 1007.
🛑 OPPOSE: House Bill 538: creates a definition of PFAS that excludes some of the most commonly used PFAS chemicals.
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
🚨 Tell Indiana lawmakers consumers can’t afford to bankroll utilities + big business! 🚨
Indiana lawmakers currently are considering multiple bills that would shift the enormous potential costs of development and deployment of untested energy production onto ratepayers. One bill would even allow utilities to charge ratepayers for losses if the state forces them to keep burning dirty, expensive coal.
Contact your representative today and tell them you want utilities and big businesses to pay for their own research and development of experimental technologies. Hard-working Hoosiers can’t afford any more charges on their monthly bills!
We need your voice in the fight against PFAS!
Share your concern about the risks of PFAS and voice your support for Representative Cash’s polluter accountability and transparency bill Senate Bill 1286 with one click!
GOOD NEWS SATURDAY
SB 422 passed out of the Senate Utilities Committee on Thursday! This bill, pushing Indiana to implement advanced transmission technology, moves to the full Senate next week.
Congressional Representative Erin Houchin urged her fellow House Ways and Means members to be careful when considering cutting Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives. Indiana has already received more than $4 billion in IRA funding and tens of billions in IRA-fueled investments in our manufacturing and automotive sectors. Call her Washington DC office at (202) 225-5315 to thank her for standing up for Indiana and urge her to continue protecting these investments.
NEW FACEBOOK GROUP!
¡Únete a Indiana Conservation Voters en Español, un espacio para defensores del medio ambiente que hablan español y quieren hacer una diferencia en Indiana! Aquí podrás conectarte con otros activistas, recibir información sobre políticas ambientales y aprender cómo tomar acción para proteger nuestro aire, agua y comunidades. No importa si eres nuevo en el activismo o ya tienes experiencia, tu voz es importante. Para más información, comunícate con Daniela Castellanos, organizadora comunitaria de Indiana Conservation Voters, al daniela@inconservationvoters.org. ¡Te esperamos!
UPCOMING EVENTS
February 4: Allen County Solar Public Education Event (Homegrown Hoosier Power)
February 12: Democracy Day (Common Cause Indiana)
February 19: Conservation Day at the Statehouse 2025 (Indiana Conservation Alliance)
February 24: Indiana RSS REAP/Non-Profit Solar 101: Crawfordsville
February 28: 2025 Indiana Sustainability and Resilience Conference
March 10: 2025 Audubon Great Lakes: Advocacy Day at the Indiana Statehouse
