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  • On Air with Indiana Environmental Reporter Podcast124

1. On Air with IER: Episode 124 (13:53)

Date:
2023-04-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We take a look at a bill that seeks to clamp down on the few remaining state protections for wetlands and the powerful building lobby behind it.

2. On Air with IER: Episode 123 (22:07)

Date:
2023-02-27
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Indiana joins a legal challenge against the Biden administration's expansion of federal protection for waterways, and Peru, Indiana residents brace for the results of an investigation into toxic TCE migrating from former Schneider Electric Square D manufacturing plant.

3. On Air with IER: Episode 122 (24:03)

Date:
2023-02-06
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We take a look at a pair of energy bills making their way through the Indiana General Assembly and one bill that seeks to make the state public retirement system another front in the right wing culture war.

4. On Air with IER: Episode 121 (15:53)

Date:
2023
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The definition of an ambiguous phrase determines which waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. We take a look at the Biden administration's new-ish definition of "waters of the United States" and its turbulent history.

5. On Air with IER: Episode 120 (13:25)

Date:
2022-12-19
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Indiana's attorney general continues targeting investment companies seeking net-zero emissions, and one of the nation's largest steel mills pursues funding for a carbon capture and sequestration project.

6. On Air with IER: Episode 119 (17:17)

Date:
2022-12-05
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA proposes raising biofuel quotas in fossil fuels and electric vehicles, and businesses and local governments warn of the hidden costs of cleaning up PFAS contamination.

7. On Air with IER: Episode 118 (21:02)

Date:
2022-11-07
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A company pays $9.8 million to settle claims it was responsible for pollution leading to an Elkhart Superfund site, and a new report finds there may be a lot more PFAS contamination around the country than we think.

8. On Air with IER: Episode 117 (17:39)

Date:
2022-10-24
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The Indiana Wetlands Task Force that was established as state lawmakers eliminated state protections for half of the state's remaining wetlands has released its final report, and Indiana's attorney general continues defending fossil fuels by taking on banks attempting to reduce their climate impact.

9. On Air with IER: Episode 116 (23:01)

Date:
2022-10-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: New research finds kids could be breathing in toxic PFAS chemicals found in stain-proof school uniforms, and the Department of Energy finds 80% of active and retired coal-fired power plant sites could house advanced nuclear energy projects.

10. On Air with IER: Episode 115 (13:29)

Date:
2022-09-19
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Another year, another record high for greenhouse gases. We'll take a look at what that means for Indiana. Plus, Indiana’s attorney general gets the state involved in the fossil fuel industry's efforts to protect their profits.

11. On Air with IER: Episode 114 (18:01)

Date:
2022-08-29
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA is beginning to crack down on two of the most well-known toxic PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, and Indiana researchers are working to better understand the thousands of other unregulated PFAS chemicals.

12. On Air with IER: Episode 113 (14:06)

Date:
2022-07-25
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: After a fossil fuel-friendly member of the President's own party derailed the latest effort to pass legislation to combat the crisis climate, some Americans want President Biden to use the full power of the presidency to turn the tide.

13. On Air with IER: Episode 112 (15:33)

Date:
2022-07-11
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: In a decision that could have significant implications for Indiana, the U.S. Supreme Court limits the EPA's power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finds high levels of some PFAS chemicals in seafood products.

14. On Air with IER: Episode 111 (12:40)

Date:
2022-06-14
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA's budget struggles claim a pair of Indiana air sensors, a group of PFAS firefighting foam makers will need to test their products for health effects, and Indiana's attorney general continues to oppose nationwide community efforts to get fossil fuel companies to pay for climate change effects.

15. On Air with IER: Episode 110 (10:23)

Date:
2022-05-31
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A federal court blocked a multi state effort aided by Indiana’s attorney general to help oil companies gain an advantage in a major climate change lawsuit, and the EPA lays out its plan to clean up a contaminated site in Franklin believed by residents to be contributing to an uptick in child cancer cases.

16. On Air with IER: Episode 109 (20:29)

Date:
2022-05-16
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: One of the state's leading research universities is looking into powering campus with a nuclear reactor, and we'll take a look at how new guidance requiring American-made steel for infrastructure projects could affect Hoosier health.

17. On Air with IER: Episode 108 (18:33)

Date:
2022-04-19
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Two towns in northwest Indiana make a deal after dumping tens of thousands of gallons of raw sewage water into waterways for more than 10 years, and one of the state’s top financing officials talks to Congress about how to make a program to protect water quality better.

18. On Air with IER: Episode 107 (17:37)

Date:
2022-03-28
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A new report finds Indiana's waterways are too polluted to play in, and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoes a bill trying to stymie important regulations.

19. On Air with IER: Episode 106 (15:14)

Date:
2022-03-15
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A federal watchdog says the EPA needs to do more to make sure chemical facilities can withstand climate change effects, and a major new study finds more evidence that discriminatory housing policies are still affecting the health of minorities today.

20. On Air with IER: Episode 105 (18:19)

Date:
2022-03-07
Summary:
This week: A new report finds the world is running out of time to prevent the worst effects of climate change, and a bill that would only allow state agencies in Indiana to enforce the bare minimum of environmental and other regulations is dead for now.

21. On Air with IER: Episode 104 (16:45)

Date:
2022-02-21
Summary:
This week: Indiana lawmakers consider a pair of bills setting the foundation for the state's post-coal energy future, and U.S. senators try to stop governors from considering climate change during infrastructure spending.

22. On Air with IER: Episode 103 (14:08)

Date:
2022-02-14
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: State lawmakers are on the verge of making an Ice Age mammal the state fossil, but is it "Indiana" enough? We take a look at their proposed animal, plus some other surprising Indiana-related fossils.

23. On Air with IER: Episode 102 (14:52)

Date:
2022-02-07
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Indiana lawmakers introduce legislation that would prevent state agencies from doing more than the federal government to protect human health and the environment and prevent the state from doing business with companies that want to move away from fossil fuels.

24. On Air with IER: Episode 101 (24:14)

Date:
2022-01-31
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We take a look at how a bill setting up a drainage task force could end up stripping away Indiana's few remaining wetland protections and why legislators are pushing bills to support carbon capture and sequestration.

25. On Air with IER: Episode 100 (15:29)

Date:
2021-12-08
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: State PFAS testing finds "forever chemicals" in treated water in two community water systems, and a federal report finds state air compliance monitoring dipped by 28% during the early months of the pandemic.

26. On Air with IER: Episode 99 (15:19)

Date:
2021-11-15
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA unveiled a new strategy to tackle lead exposure, and countries talk climate deals at the COP26 conference.

27. On Air with IER: Episode 98 (18:52)

Date:
2021-11-08
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Scientists shout for climate action and cement and concrete manufacturers unveil a plan for net zero carbon emissions.

28. On Air with IER: Episode 97 (20:28)

Date:
2021-11-01
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A Purdue University project will test how the Midwest can update its agricultural system for the 21st century, and the U.S. EPA lays out its strategy for tackling PFAS chemicals.

29. On Air with IER: Episode 96 (28:56)

Date:
2021-10-04
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The Indiana Wetlands Task Force is assembled; one of the state's "super polluter" power plants could soon have an official retirement date; and we take a look at whether Indiana lawmakers will stifle the state’s solar energy future.

30. On Air with IER: Episode 95 (25:30)

Date:
2021-09-27
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: After a recent court ruling, the state of Indiana has to figure out which state waterways are still state waterways; a major steel company has to pay for a 2017 chromium spill; and an organization is helping people find a new life in farming.

31. On Air with IER: Episode 94 (15:35)

Date:
2021-09-20
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
On a new and improved On Air with IER: Tell City residents say a former General Electric plant is a risk to human health and property values; a proposed natural gas pipeline could impact plants and wildlife in southern Indiana; and South Bend renegotiates a deal to save hundreds of millions of dollars and protect water quality.

32. On Air with IER: Episode 93 (25:04)

Date:
2021-09-13
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
On a new and improved On Air with IER: A natural gas pipeline to nowhere (for now) could affect Hoosier health and the environment in southwestern Indiana; Indiana's Congressional Republicans say "no" to a major PFAS bill; and misinformation threatens renewable energy's future in the Hoosier state.

33. On Air with IER: Episode 92 (12:36)

Date:
2021-07-19
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A large majority of Hoosiers said 2020 was a difficult year and expect the next decade to be just as difficult, and an association of Midwestern companies and trade groups are against a new rule preventing pollution from high-polluting states from affecting the air quality in downwind states.

34. On Air with IER: Episode 91 (15:46)

Date:
2021-06-14
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The Biden administration intends to revise which waterways are protected by federal law, and Indiana's attorney general wants the Supreme Court to review the EPA's power to regulate electric companies' pollution.

35. On Air with IER: Episode 90 (15:41)

Date:
2021-05-17
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott speaks about the "pretty tough" 2021 Indiana Legislative Session, groups want a planned I-69 bridge between Kentucky and Indiana to have pedestrian and cyclist access, and a $2 trillion infrastructure proposal could help significantly reduce Indiana's lead exposure problem.

36. On Air with IER: Episode 89 (14:55)

Date:
2021-04-28
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: President Biden pledges a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and Gov. Eric Holcomb will have to decide whether or not to sign into law a bill that eliminates protections for much of the state's wetlands.

37. On Air with IER: Episode 88 (15:15)

Date:
2021-04-12
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: House committees make major changes to two environmental bills in the Indiana Legislature, making a wetlands bill more palatable and a carbon market bill less so.

38. On Air with IER: Episode 87 (17:14)

Date:
2021-03-08
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: An Indiana University professor nominated for the EPA's number two position faces the Senate; Indiana's energy grid operator says it will take "transformational change" to introduce more renewable energy into the grid; and a carbon market bill making its way through the Indiana Legislature could help us fight climate change while helping farmers in a big way.

39. On Air with IER: Episode 86 (19:53)

Date:
2021-02-08
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week, we take a look at several environmental bills making their way through the Indiana legislature. One bill seeks to remove all state protections for state wetlands. Another bill wants to make it difficult for local governments and state-funded universities to move away from fossil fuels. A third seeks to set the groundwork for a carbon market in Indiana.

40. On Air with IER: Episode 85 (12:44)

Date:
2021-01-25
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A federal court has struck down a key Trump administration air pollution rule that the EPA said could cause more air pollution and premature deaths, and South Bend's Mayor Pete is now Nominee Pete and making his case for a Transportation Department that carriers out President Joe Biden's climate goals.

41. On Air with IER: Episode 84 (13:48)

Date:
2021-01-11
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: With only days left before the transition, the Trump EPA finalized a rule that restricts which data can be used to craft environmental legislation, and we take a look at President-elect Joe Biden's Climate Team.

42. On Air with IER: Episode 83 (15:56)

Date:
2020-12-07
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The Office of the Indiana State Chemist is considering some state-specific restrictions on dicamba, and climate activists discuss what steps President-elect Biden should take to combat climate change once he's in office.

43. On Air with IER: Episode 82 (15:29)

Date:
2020-11-23
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A new EPA proposal seeks to stop air pollution from upwind states like Indiana from crossing into downwind states and contributing to their pollution, and a federal judge ordered the FDA to complete an environmental analysis for genetically engineered salmon raised in Albany, Indiana.

44. On Air with IER: Episode 81 (17:43)

Date:
2020-11-09
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA approved the registration of three dicamba products, despite previous federal court decisions invalidating earlier registrations and a growing number of complaints about the products’ safety. Plus, new research from Purdue University and an international team of researchers finds the same clouds that have helped Indiana feed the world could also be speaking volumes about the effect our actions have on the earth’s climate.

45. On Air with IER: Episode 80 (24:13)

Date:
2020-10-26
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA has removed all or parts of 27 Superfund sites, including three Indiana sites, from the National Priorities List. Is the contamination threat at those sites really gone? Plus, an Indiana University professor will chair the EPA's scientific advisory board.

46. On Air with IER: Episode 79 (16:24)

Date:
2020-10-12
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The COVID-19 crisis is making more Hoosiers energy insecure, and Indiana lawmakers discuss a draft bill that could set the foundation for carbon offset trading in the state.

47. On Air with IER: Episode 78 (14:43)

Date:
2020-10-05
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The new owners of several steel mills in Indiana promise a "greener and more socially responsible" future for the facilities, Gov. Eric Holcomb awards six environmental excellence awards and Congress holds a hearing about improving clean energy access and affordability.

48. On Air with IER: Episode 77 (15:57)

Date:
2020-09-14
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: IDEM closes the door on ephemeral streams protection in Indiana, and COVID-19 slows the military's transition to a PFAS-free firefighting foam.

49. On Air with IER: Episode 76 (15:58)

Date:
2020-09-07
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: EPA's Region 5 is refuting a new report by the EPA's Office of the Inspector General that may have found major record keeping issues, Indianapolis Power & Light has settled a lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations at its Petersburg Generating Station, and climate resilience education efforts continue even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

50. On Air with IER: Episode 75 (19:38)

Date:
2020-08-31
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We take at the ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, LLC steel mill. The facility recently had a big win in air quality, but is also under investigation for how it and its contracted laboratory tests samples of pollutants it dumps into nearby water sources.