By: Sarah
At a time where the Trump administration is aggressively rolling back environmental protections of our land, air, water and health, Governor Braun has chosen to double down on the “no more stringent than” federal law approach that severely limits Indiana from meeting our unique environmental needs. This will only add to similar efforts by lawmakers to limit environmental protections in our state, which have resulted in over half of our lakes, rivers, and streams being unsafe for Hoosiers to swim in or eat fish caught from them. And, in an era where attracting talent is top of mind for virtually every employer, Indiana continues to land at the bottom of national environmental rankings – 50th of 50 states in U.S. News & World Report in the category of Natural Environment. That is unacceptable and Indiana must do better.
And the governor’s rejection of “environmental justice” means everyday Hoosiers will have less input on decisions impacting their environment and communities going forward. Environmental justice is concept which holds that the people most impacted by development and polluting industries, should have some say over how they are regulated. In Indiana, most federally recognized environmental justice census tracks are in largely white rural communities. And while many black and brown communities have felt the brunt of polluting industries, Governor Braun’s assertion that environmental justice means decisions are based on race demonstrates a lack of understanding of what environmental justice is and why it is important.
“This is the exact wrong time to put limits on the state’s ability to protect Hoosiers quality of life, the air we breathe, the water and our natural places,”
-Sam Carpenter, IPB News
Bottom line: Indiana is already recognized for having among the most lax environmental regulations in the U.S. With the Trump administration having made clear its intentions to roll back federal regulations even further, now is precisely the wrong moment for Governor Braun to make it harder for Hoosiers to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on.
Read more about Braun’s executive orders
Advocate blast Braun for barring social justice factors in environmental policy decisions, by Karl Schneider, IndyStar, March 12, 2025. Quotes from Sam Carpenter.
Gov. Mike Braun orders limits on environmental laws, cuts environmental justice from permit criteria, by Rebecca Thiele, IPB News, March 12, 2025. Quotes from Sam Carpenter and David Van Gilder.
Categories: Environmental Justice, Uncategorized