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Help Stop a Bill that Seriously Weakens Protections
from Factory Farm Waste!
We hear all too often from rural Hoosiers that Indiana's laws fail to protect them from the sickening odors, manure-laden streams, and plummeting property values that so often result when a factory farm moves in next door.
Tragically, the situation could get worse if HB 1494 becomes law.
HB 1494 would eliminate the following safeguards:
1. Permit approval by Indiana's environmental agency (IDEM)
before a factory farm can be built or expanded.
What this means: E
ffectively strips our state environmental agency of its ability to ensure that setbacks and design requirements for factory farms are followed.
2. Public notice to impacted neighbors and local governments before a factory farm can be built or expanded.
What this means: P
rohibits impacted communities from having their voices heard on whether a factory farm is the right thing for their community.
3. Disclosure of all owners and operators and their environmental histories before a factory farm can be built or expanded.
What this means: Takes away IDEM's ability to ensure that bad actors are not allowed to operate factory farms in our state.
TAKE ACTION: Contact Indiana House Environmental Affairs Chairman Rep. David Wolkins and urge him, for the sake of the health of our fellow Hoosiers, to not move this bill forward.
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Speak Out for Better Mass
Transit Service in Indianapolis
!
This coming Monday evening, January 30th, will be a pivotal time in the push for improved mass transit service in our capital city. At its meeting that night, the Indianapolis City-County Council will take testimony on Proposal 3-2017 -- the Marion County transit funding ordinance -- which would establish a modest one-quarter of one percent transit tax.
The proposed, new source of funding will pay for more frequent bus service, longer hours of service, everyday service, and help implement three new bus rapid transit routes.
Nearly 60% of Marion County voters supported this proposal in the November 2016 election, and the City-County Council should honor the voters' will by adopting the ordinance.
TAKE ACTION: Join your fellow transit supporters at the City-County Council meeting Monday evening and help make transit history for Indianapolis! Help fill the Assembly Room at the City-County Building with a sea of orange transit t-shirts. Come early at 6:30 pm to get a seat -- the City-Council meeting starts at 7 pm. Whether you can attend or not, please reach your City-County Councilor to express your strong support for the transit ordinance!
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Defend Indiana's Solar Industry:
Urge Key Lawmakers to Vote "No" on SB 309
Jobs in solar energy are growing at 12 times the rate as those in the private sector overall. Indiana should be making sure we grow those jobs in our state!
SB 309 would seriously harm the promise of Indiana rooftop solar being a big source of investment and jobs in our state.
SB 309 would:
- Forbid net metering -- the principal way that we recognize the many benefits that rooftop solar provides to the grid -- in 2027.
- Deny net metering, before 2027, to any rooftop solar customer who happens to be one who comes onto the grid system after a given utility gets more than 1% of their power from rooftop solar.
- Impose "buy all, sell all" on all solar customers who cannot take advantage of net metering - which means you'd be forced to sell all of your solar generation back to the grid (and be compensated at the dirt cheap "wholesale rate") and yet be paying at the normal "retail" electricity rate for all of your electricity (even though you have solar panels on your own roof)!
TAKE ACTION:
Learn more about the bill by viewing this link and then please contact one of four key State Senators, depending on where you live, at the bottom of this link!
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Attend One of Several Upcoming Environmental Events!
There are a number of events coming up in the next few weeks that we would love to have you attend!
February 6:
Indianapolis - St. Luke's United Methodist Church
Upcoming Third House events:
Columbus - Monday, January 30th and Monday, February 6th
The following Third House events are all on Saturday, February 4th:
If you would like to learn more about the bills moving through the legislature and talking points for conversing with your representative and senator, please visit our Bill Watch 2017 page.
If you have any questions about any of the above events, please contact our Outreach Coordinator, Amanda Shepherd.
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Time is Running Out: Contact Senator Donnelly & Urge Him to
Vote "No" on Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator
Scott Pruitt has sued the US EPA fourteen times. He characterizes man-made climate change science "as far from settled". He has attempted to block federal protections from toxic mercury coming from power plants.
If you needed more reasons to conclude that Pruitt is wrong to lead the EPA, please read
our OpEd.
The U.S. Senate Environmental Committee will vote on Pruitt's confirmation next week - and the full confirmation vote should happen soon after.
TAKE ACTION:
Urge Senator Joe Donnelly to vote "No" at (202) 224-4814 or
here.
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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