Indiana General Assembly wind, solar bills called overreach courierpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courierpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
But one committee has been missing in action this year.
The House Environmental Affairs Committee has not met a single time. Not because it didn t have any legislation assigned to it. Thirteen bills were filed, many dealing with weighty topics.
But since the deadline to hear bills from the House has now passed, all of them died without any consideration. And while it s common for bills to die in committee most do it s unusual for a committee not to meet at all.
Critics say it amounts to a dereliction of duty in a state that releases more toxic chemicals and pollution per square mile than any other in America, causing real threats to the environment and the health of Hoosiers. Several advocates and some committee members said the decision not to meet feels like a deliberate snub from Republican leadership.
Environmental committee a no-show despite Indiana's pollution problem courierpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courierpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lawmakers have proposed state guidelines for wind and solar farms like how far they can be from neighboring property owners. Under a new state House bill
House Utilities Committee Approves Bill Establishing Statewide Standards for Wind, Solar Sites HB 1381 sets default wind and solar energy system siting requirements for the state, requires all local governments to adopt wind, solar regulations before issuing permits. Enrique Saenz February 12, 2021
Renewable energy, like wind and solar power, is on the rise in the U.S., spurring investment and a further expansion of renewable sites across the nation, including Indiana. But local opposition in pockets of the state threatens to derail renewable projects and future investments, potentially leaving the state out of a national renewable energy boom.
Lawmakers in the Indiana House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee are trying to counter that opposition, passing a bill that establishes statewide baseline regulations for solar and wind energy production systems.