Environmental protection bills seldom win at statehouse -- and 2024 was more of the same

The 2024 legislative session has wrapped up, and like in previous years, several bills addressing the environment and risks to the health of Hoosiers ended up on the chopping block.

A variety of topics were up for debate, from natural resources and toxic chemicals to wildlife and more. Some proposed bills aimed at beneficial changes for the environment, according to experts and advocates, were basically dead on arrival — not advancing from the committees to which they were assigned, sometimes without even a hearing.

Meanwhile, other legislation environmental and health advocates argued would have detrimental effects were approved by the GOP supermajority and landed on Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

Here's a quick breakdown of some of the winners and losers this year at the statehouse.

Winner: Protection from toxic chemicals

House Bill 1399 would have changed the definition of toxic forever chemicals in Indiana and thus put Hoosiers at risk, according to experts, had quite the journey this session. It passed the House, then died in the Senate only to be resurrected in a conference committee amendment. If the language had passed, thousands of PFAS chemicals deemed harmful in every other state would no longer be considered dangerous — or even be considered PFAS — in Indiana.

That language ultimately was removed from the bill before session concluded, and the potential to regulate PFAS in Indiana in the future currently remains.

Loser: More wetlands unprotected

The very first bill Holcomb signed this session strips more protections for Indiana's few remaining wetlands. Opponents argue that HB 1383 was shoved through the session at a blazing pace to quash public outcry.

The bill was presented as a compromise between the state environmental agency and the building industry, but wetland regulators exclusively told IndyStar that claim it was "a good bill is a lie." The law now opens more of the critical natural resource for development without any sort of safeguards or mitigation.

How other bills ended up

Wetlands: Another bill that passed this session, SB 246, does create some incentives (through tax assessments) to encourage private landowners to preserve wetlands on their properties.

Hunting: Despite significant opposition, Holcomb signed SB 241 this week that directs the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to create a bobcat hunting and trapping season in the next year.

Green cremation: Hoosiers will have to keep waiting if they want an alternative to traditional cremation. A bill that would have legalized alkaline hydrolysis — often called water or chemical cremation — in the state failed to pass.

Pollinators: Hoosier beekeepers can keep their hives within neighborhoods with homeowners associations, according to HB 1337. The new bill, waiting for Holcomb's signature, allows an HOA to regulate honeybee hives but not prohibit them.

Coal ash: A bill that would have created some restrictions on how toxic coal ash could be used, particularly as fill in construction projects, failed to get a hearing this year.

Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or email at sarah.bowman@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStar’s environmental reporters: Join The Scrub on Facebook.

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: PFAS, wetlands, bobcats: How the environment fared in the 2024 session