INDIANAPOLIS â More than 100 organizations, including dozens of environmental and conservation groups, signed a letter earlier this week urging Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to veto SEA 389, a controversial bill rolling back wetlands protections across the state.
However, on Thursday, Holcomb signed the bill into law, despite some departments in his administration openly opposing it throughout the legislative session.
Now, some of those groups are voicing their disappointment in his reversal, but also pledging to continue the fight to preserve Indianaâs vulnerable wetlands.
Seven of the major environmental groups who signed the letter â including the Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Conservation Law Center, Save the Dunes, St. Joseph River Basin Commission and the White River Alliance â issued a joint news release Friday morning detailing their response.
Indianaâs General Assembly recently illustrated whatâs become an unfortunate and all-too-frequent political maxim: When money talks, good public policy walks.
In this case the money, about $390,000 spread across the General Assembly since 2017, according to the Indianapolis Star, comes from the Indiana Builders Association. The result is Senate Bill 389, and it is bad public policy. I hope Gov. Eric Holcomb will veto the bill.
Its first, horrible iteration was a full repeal of the regulations that protect about 800,000 acres of wetlands that arenât connected to a lake or a stream. These wetlands, although classified by characteristics such as the presence of trees and wildlife, all perform basic and important functions.
Ben Valentine
BEN VALENTINE: What motivated you to return your focus specifically on Indiana, having served as Director of North Americaâs Agriculture Program at TNC? Â
LARRY CLEMENS: Indiana is home. I grew up in northern Indiana in a small town (Argos) and truly love our state, the people and the communities. When I started working for The Nature Conservancy in 1992, I learned quickly the rich history of TNCâs Indiana Chapter not only as a leader here in Indiana, but also nationally in conservation. Our program has a rich history of strong conservation leaders as state directors, and I hoped someday, if given the chance, I would carry on that tradition.Â
Ben Valentine
BEN VALENTINE: What motivated you to return your focus specifically on Indiana, having served as Director of North Americaâs Agriculture Program at TNC? Â
LARRY CLEMENS: Indiana is home. I grew up in northern Indiana in a small town (Argos) and truly love our state, the people and the communities. When I started working for The Nature Conservancy in 1992, I learned quickly the rich history of TNCâs Indiana Chapter not only as a leader here in Indiana, but also nationally in conservation. Our program has a rich history of strong conservation leaders as state directors, and I hoped someday, if given the chance, I would carry on that tradition.Â
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy and the United State Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency have joined forces to implement the Upper White River Crop Insurance Incentive Program. This program mirrors efforts in Iowa and Illinois, and will reward farmers who plant cover crops by providing a reduced premium on their crop insurance. The discount program was designed to promote additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives.
“Our natural resources are some of Indiana’s most valuable assets and we must strive to protect them,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “This funding will allow our upper white region farmers the opportunity to increase cover crop usage, increase the filtration of water and put farm income toward another need on their operation.”