Wrap-Up of the 2008 Indiana Legislative Session

This brief summary of key bills in the 2008 Indiana legislative session was prepared by Carey Hamilton. If anyone has questions or would like more details on a particular issue, please contact the Hoosier Chapter office (317) 822-3750 .

Great Lakes Compact - Senator Gard, R - Greenfield, and Representative Pelath, D - Michigan City, authored this important environmental legislation. Indiana was one of the 1st states to sign this multi-state agreement which strives to protect the waters of the Great Lakes from withdrawals for use outside of the basin. All 8 Great Lakes states must pass the Compact and it's implementing language and then Congress must ratify the Compact for it to go into effect. This step was a great success for Indiana.

Phosphorus - Author - Representative Nancy Dembowski, D - Knox. Beginning June 30, 2010, phosphorus will be banned from all dish detergent sold in Indiana, excluding detergent sold for commercial use. This ban is in addition to a ban on phosphorus in laundry detergents that has been in place for over 30 years. Indiana has an excess of phosphorus in the environment and too much phosphorus can lead to toxic algae blooms in Indiana's lakes, especially during drought conditions. While phosphorus from dish detergents is a small percentage of overall phosphorus entering Indiana's waters, it is hoped that this move will lead to reductions from other more significant sources in coming years.

CAFO Regulations - Representatives Dave Cheatham, D - N. Vernon, and Ryan Dvorak, D - South Bend, worked hard to pass language that would have improved Indiana's CAFO regulations. In the end, no new requirements were passed and Indiana continues to have some of the weakest CAFO regulations in the country.

Green Building - Representative Matt Pierce, D - Bloomington, introduced legislation with the goal of requiring new or renovated state and local government owned buildings, and state university buildings to be certified using one of several recognized green building certification systems. A strong case was made for green building, touting the economic, human health and environmental benefits of green construction practices. Many legislators agreed that this requirement would result in buildings that use significantly less energy than traditionally constructed public buildings, thus saving taxpayer dollars. However, in the end, opposition argued successfully that this bill placed a mandate on local governments at a time when great pressures face these taxing units, and that such mandates were unacceptable. The significant dialogue around this legislation through the final days of the session may lead to other efforts to "green" public buildings.

Renewable Energy - Renewable energy legislation was vetted again this year to no avail. The utility lobby is still strongly opposed to any mandatory renewable goals and their voice continues to outweigh the growing support for a renewable standard in Indiana. Thanks to Representative Crooks, D - Washington, for his leadership on this issue.

Climate Registry - Representative Ryan Dvorak, D - South Bend, proposed this legislation with would have required the state of Indiana to become a member of and participate in the climate registry concerning greenhouse gas emissions reporting and reduction. This legislation passed out of the House but was never heard in the Senate. Indiana is one of only a handful of states that do not participate in the climate registry.

Mass Transit - Representative Terri Austin, D - Anderson, proposed legislation that would have made it easier for local governments to set aside revenues to be used as a match for federal transit dollars. This bill did not survive. Indiana continues to be one of the worst state's in regards to funding mass transit, and Indianapolis is one of few major cities that does not have a matching source of funds to apply for federal New Star funds for mass transit investments.

Wrap-Up of the 2008 Indiana Legislative Session

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