Indiana governor signs wetland repeal bill, despite pushback; controversial abortion bill signed, challenge expected
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4 Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Connecting Wetlands, Wildlife, and You
Veto request for SEA 389 - 5
The DNR has estimated dollar values for some of the annual benefits wetlands provide:
● $1.8 billion in water storage,
● $850 million in erosion prevention,
● $202 million in water purification, and
● support for Indiana’s multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation, hunting, and fishing industries5.
The water storage and water quality functions of wetlands can be replaced by building stormwater infrastructure, but at a substantial cost, and without wildlife, recreation, air quality, and climate benefits. EPA data on the cost of stormwater infrastructure, adjusted to 2021 dollars, show that the least expensive option costs over $86,000 per acre of wetland being replaced6. Preserving existing wetlands saves these construction costs and provides the most cost-effective stormwater management available.
Courtesy mwbcommunications.com
Opponents of Senate Bill 389 gather in the Statehouse Monday to deliver Gov. Eric Holcomb a letter outlining their objections. Previous Next
Tuesday, April 27, 2021 1:00 am
Editorial
Holcomb should veto wetlands-gutting bill
Adjectives flowed easily Monday from opponents of damaging legislation that would gut protections for Indiana wetlands.
Unprecedented. Harmful. Irresponsible. Short-sighted.
“(A) super-risky and unsustainable gamble,” Jill Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann is executive director of the White River Alliance, an advocacy group that works to protect water resources in the central portion of the state. Her organization is among more than 100 – including the local League of Women Voters chapter, the city of Angola and the Crooked Lake Association board in northeast Indiana – that signed on to a letter urging Gov. Eric Holcomb to veto Senate Bill 389.
Credit Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy
More than 100 groups are asking the governor to veto a bill that would remove protections for many of the state’s wetlands. They delivered a letter to Holcomb on Monday. The signatures include city leaders as well as groups representing environmentalists, wildlife advocates, hunters, and more.
Senate Bill 389 removes protections for a whole class of smaller wetlands (known as Class I wetlands) and nixes some for another class of wetlands that the state considers somewhat “rare or ecologically important” (known as Class II wetlands). The Indiana Department of Environmental Management estimates more than half of the state s acres of wetlands are Class I wetlands and more than 30 percent are Class II.
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