Yoder, Tallian oppose dangerous wetland deregulation bill
On Monday, January 25, Senate Environmental Affairs Committee Chair Mark Messmer is scheduled to give the anti-wetlands bill, Senate Bill (SB) 389, a hearing in committee. SB 389 is a potentially dangerous bill with broad deregulation that would irreversibly damage Indiana’s wetlands. The Ranking Minority Member on the Environmental Affairs Committee, State Senator Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington), and committee member State Senator Karen Tallian (D-Ogden Dunes) are in stark opposition of SB 389.
“Our state’s wetlands are in serious trouble if the legislature approves SB 389,” Sen. Tallian said. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has already curtailed its regulation of wetlands by certain administrative changes, eliminating much of our wetlands from federal control. At the same time that federal control was cut, a group of Indiana senators now wants to entirely repeal nearly all of Indiana’s own wetland regulations. We are proud Hoosiers, and this attempt to damage our great state’s beautiful land shows a lack of pride in the public lands our state has to offer.
“We are in disbelief that this bill would even receive a hearing. This bill should be referred to a study committee. But to repeal all of our wetland regulations – without any care as to the legal effect on issues like local ordinances, federal grant money, legal wetland conservation easements or storm water mitigation – is completely irresponsible.”
Sen. Yoder had the following to say: “We would now be leaving our state’s wetlands without any protection. Our wetlands capture toxins and clean our water, performing a vital role in maintaining safe, clean drinking water. Wetlands also prevent flooding. Opening our wetlands up for destruction will bring even more of the ostensibly once-in-a-millennium floods that our state experienced over the last thirteen years. This legislation jeopardizes wildlife, drinking water, Hoosier homes, marshlands, fishing and recreation. I will certainly oppose this bill in its current form.”
Hoosiers who oppose this bill should contact the Committee Chair, State Senator Mark Messmer. Hoosiers may also contact the other authors and co-authors of the bill:
- Sen. Chris Garten
- Sen. Linda Rogers
- Sen. Scott Baldwin
- Sen. Andy Zay
- Sen. Jack Sandlin
- Sen. Blake Doriot
- Sen. Mike Gaskill
- Sen. Rick Niemeyer
SB 389 is scheduled to be heard on Monday, January 25, in the Senate Chamber at 10 a.m. EST.
3 responses to Yoder, Tallian oppose dangerous wetland deregulation bill
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Trish Whitcomb January 23rd, 2021 at 4:10 pm
I salute Senators Tallian and Yoder for their positions in opposition to the wetlands bill. Their statements clearly outline the dangers of destroying wetlands. Conserving natural remedies to water pollution is common sense.
Luella Beth Hillen January 25th, 2021 at 3:22 pm
The state regulated wetland law picks up where the US Clean Water Act leaves off. The state law regulates ‘isolated’ wetlands which are those with no connection to Waters of the US (regulated under the US Clean Water Act). These isolated wetlands are considered ‘waters of the state’ and serve various functions within the landscape. Often found around natural springs; headwaters of small, intermittent streams; in isolated locations on floodplains of large streams and rivers; and in natural enclosed depressions in the uplands, these isolated wetlands provide vital habitat for plant and animal species, and help filter run-off from farm fields and the built environment before it enters adjacent streams. Wetlands absorb excess run-off during heavy rain events, alleviating some flooding which would occur if they were not present. Allowing these isolated wetlands to be destroyed without regulation and compensation through mitigation would harm both the natural and built environment through the increase in flooding and increase in both sediment and nutrient load to our waterways.
While on the surface this has the potential to allow projects to move faster through the environmental process, because an isolated wetlands permit would not be needed, it would require submission of every project to the US Army Corps for an approved jurisdictional determination, which would vastly increase their review load and thus would eliminate any time savings.
As a citizen of Indiana, the concern is the damage this could do to the surface waters of the state of Indiana. We already have some of the least stringent laws in the nation regarding water quality protection, why are we racing to the bottom and actively trying to make our water even more polluted than it is now?
Jessica Peterson January 25th, 2021 at 5:01 pm
THE DESTRUCTION OF WETLANDS EQUALS AN INCREASE OF FLOODING DISASTERS. We have already seen this occurring in the past several decades and it will only get WORSE if this dangerous bill is passed.
According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, in the early 1700s, wetlands covered 25% of the total area of Indiana. That number has been greatly reduced. By the late 1980s over 4.7 million acres of wetlands had been lost – WETLANDS NOW COVER LESS THAN 4% of INDIANA.
We have seen major increases in flooding, resulting in property damage. Property damage from flooding now totals over $1 billion each year in the United. States.
Removal of wetlands also results in greater stress placed on streams.
About SEVENTY PERCENT (70%) of the streams in Indiana are ALREADY CURRENTLY impaired for one or more uses according to field data collected by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
This means 70& of the streams are not usable for watering crops, recreation, fish consumption, aquatic life, and/or the drinking water supply.
STREAMS AND WETLANDS ARE FINITE RESOURCES. WE CANNOT REPAIR THE DAMAGE DONE ALREADY BUT WE CAN ENSURE OUR REGULATIONS PREVENT FURTHER UNNECESSARY DAMAGE TO THESE RESOURCES.