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  • On Air with Indiana Environmental Reporter Podcast124

51. On Air with IER: Episode 32 (15:51)

Date:
2019-07-29
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The U.S. EPA has chosen not to ban an Indiana-made pesticide linked to brain abnormalities and autism in children, and the state of Indiana has chosen the first round of proposals for Volkswagen settlement funding.

52. On Air with IER: Episode 33 (18:15)

Date:
2019-08-05
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This Week: Air quality gains have slowed after two decades of improvement, and an app is helping beekeepers and growers check in on their bees without disturbing them.

53. On Air with IER: Episode 34 (19:07)

Date:
2019-08-19
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Community and environmental groups are suing the EPA for higher dust-lead standards, and environmental groups are concerned a Hoosier National Forest management plan may have a negative effect on the surrounding environment.

54. On Air with IER: Episode 35 (15:46)

Date:
2019-08-26
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We track a chemical release in the Little Calumet River, and we take a look at how changes to the Endangered Species Act could make it harder to protect vulnerable plants and animals.

55. On Air with IER: Episode 36 (13:27)

Date:
2019-09-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The town of Speedway is trying to find out who is dumping a large amount of industrial oil into the town's water supply, and a biofuel company says Big Oil's relationship with the Trump administration caused it to close a bioprocessing facility in Cloverdale, Indiana.

56. On Air with IER: Episode 37 (17:56)

Date:
2019-09-16
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Lots of roll backs. The Trump administration rolls back a rule that would have made light bulbs more efficient, and the EPA rolls back limits on methane, a greenhouse has 25 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

57. On Air with IER: Episode 38 (14:38)

Date:
2019-09-23
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rolls back a 2015 rule that expands the definition of waterways protected by federal law, and the state of Indiana and 19 other states are backing up a federal air pollution law that may make air pollution worse.

58. On Air with IER: Episode 39 (21:43)

Date:
2019-09-30
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Hoosiers joined a global climate strike, and the EPA may rewrite a cross-state pollution rule after a court cracked down on open-ended compliance deadlines.

59. On Air with IER: Episode 4 (11:34)

Date:
2018-11-26
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Many Hoosiers don't realize they are feeling the effects of climate change every day. Hear why scientists in Indiana say the changes will adversely affect current and future generations of Hoosiers.

60. On Air with IER: Episode 40 (21:07)

Date:
2019-10-07
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A long-term Indiana University air pollution monitoring program will use a $5.9 million grant to measure the amount of PFAS chemicals in the Great Lakes, and a new book and movie chronicles the lawsuit that brought the toxic effect of those chemicals into the light.

61. On Air with IER: Episode 41 (15:45)

Date:
2019-10-14
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Two midwestern environmental advocacy groups take the first step in suing the company that owns a steel mill in northwestern Indiana responsible for Clean Water Act violations, and the state of Indiana received a nearly half a billion dollar loan to improve water infrastructure projects in the state.

62. On Air with IER: Episode 42 (16:17)

Date:
2019-10-21
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A new proposal from the EPA limiting the amount of lead and copper in drinking water could help ensure safer drinking water in schools, and NASA has made available nearly 20 years of satellite precipitation data that could improve the accuracy of climate and weather models in Indiana and around the world.

63. On Air with IER: Episode 43 (17:36)

Date:
2019-11-04
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A pair of environmental advocacy groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tighten national emissions standards for toxic pollution from steel mills, and an EPA proposal seeks to make it easier for farmers to spray pesticides but could endanger farmworkers.

64. On Air with IER: Episode 44 (22:44)

Date:
2019-11-18
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: After disastrous flooding, officials in Goshen, Indiana embark on a journey of climate change resilience, and a new online tool seeks to help communities prepare for climate change before it's too late.

65. On Air with IER: Episode 45 (31:54)

Date:
2019-11-25
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We talked to a former Russian army soldier who survived the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 and eventually made his way to the U.S. He thought his first brush with environmental disaster would be his last. He was wrong. Plus, a federal report found that half of Indiana's toxic Superfund sites could be affected by flooding due to climate change.

66. On Air with IER: Episode 46 (19:11)

Date:
2019-12-09
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Schwibs, Susanne
Summary:
This week: We take a look at why Indiana ranks 44th in the nation for new incidences of lung cancer, and the federal government makes a deal with a national cement company for alleged Clean Air Act violations.

67. On Air with IER: Episode 47 (16:30)

Date:
2019-12-16
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Schwibs, Susanne
Summary:
This week: A major electricity supplier in Indiana plans to retire two coal-fired units at its Petersburg Generating Station, and we take a look at what you can do to make sure your campfire fuel isn't helping spread invasive bugs.

68. On Air with IER: Episode 48 (18:05)

Date:
2020-01-06
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Schwibs, Susanne
Summary:
This week: A group of researchers is reaching out to towns and cities across Indiana to create the first state-wide urban forest database, and we take a look at some bills introduced during the 2020 Indiana legislative session that could have an effect on the environment.

69. On Air with IER: Episode 49 (22:25)

Date:
2020-01-20
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Schwibs, Susanne
Summary:
This week: IDEM investigates whether a company responsible for a chemical release in Lake Michigan and the Little Calumet River is accurately reporting water samples; we take a look at the environmental issues Gov. Eric Holcomb brought up during the 2020 State of the State address; and a national non-profit organization is looking for 20 Indianapolis homeowners willing to transition to solar power at no cost.

70. On Air with IER: Episode 5 (19:06)

Date:
2018-12-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Two plans submitted by consecutive administrations, the Obama-era Clean Power Plan and the Trump administration's Affordable Clean Energy Rule, have different views on how the nation should regulate power plant emissions. Hear why both sides say their plan is better for the U.S.

71. On Air with IER: Episode 50 (17:58)

Date:
2020-01-27
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The Trump administration has finalized a rule that limits which waterways are under federal Clean Water Act protections, and we look into whether Indiana's 2019 agricultural fortunes are a sign of things to come.

72. On Air with IER: Episode 51 (19:48)

Date:
2020-02-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Indiana's youth climate leaders call for change in state's first Youth Climate Action Day, and we hear from opponents and proponents of a bill making its way through the Indiana legislature that seeks to slow down the retirement of coal-fired power plants.

73. On Air with IER: Episode 52 (20:11)

Date:
2020-02-10
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A coalition of groups from the Great Lakes region say its members need more time to see how a change to one of the nation's first major federal environmental laws will affect them, and a new report says snowfall rates have drastically changed in the past 50 years.

74. On Air with IER: Episode 53 (19:37)

Date:
2020-02-24
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A U.S. company decides to stop selling an Indiana-made pesticide linked to "brain abnormalities" in children; we look at who won the first stage of a legal battle to prevent the construction of a coal-to-diesel plant in Spencer County; and students learn about using aquatic life to grow food.

75. On Air with IER: Episode 54 (19:57)

Date:
2020-03-02
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A bipartisan bill making its way through the Indiana legislature seeks to limit the amount of PFAS firefighting foam used during training, and Congress grills the EPA administrator about the Trump administration's request to slash the agency's budget by 26%.

76. On Air with IER: Episode 55 (18:45)

Date:
2020-03-09
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Two Indiana-based companies are in charge of destroying the DoD's PFAS firefighting foam, and Congress takes a crack at the nation's plastic waste crisis.

77. On Air with IER: Episode 56 (16:20)

Date:
2020-03-30
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The NOAA predicts above-average levels of rainfall and flood risk this spring, the Department of Defense it has identified many more military installations in the U.S. that may be contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals.

78. On Air with IER: Episode 57 (18:13)

Date:
2020-04-06
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Farmers face off against precipitation and pestilence to feed the country, and climate and medical professionals say there's a direct link between human health and the health of the environment.

79. On Air with IER: Episode 58 (15:50)

Date:
2020-04-13
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Both the U.S. EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have adopted "enforcement discretion" policies that will allow some forms of environmental regulation noncompliance during the COVID-19 crisis, and a new study has found that people living in communities with more air pollution have a higher COVID-19 death rate than people living in less polluted communities.

80. On Air with IER: Episode 59 (24:19)

Date:
2020-04-20
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Fallout from the COVID-19 crisis has dealt a serious economic blow to the clean energy industry. Plus, the combination of EPA's full-speed-ahead deregulation and COVID-19 "enforcement discretion" policy could put Hoosiers living near coal ash dump sites at risk.

81. On Air with IER: Episode 6 (15:51)

Date:
2018-12-10
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Citizen scientists help make sure your waterways stay healthy, and researchers find out if people are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly beer.

82. On Air with IER: Episode 60 (24:21)

Date:
2020-04-27
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: An Indiana University survey finds that only 1 in 5 Hoosiers thought a pandemic was possible, and northwestern Indiana residents are concerned a plan to close several coal ash ponds may not be enough to stop a legacy of pollution.

83. On Air with IER: Episode 61 (17:02)

Date:
2020-05-04
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: We get a first look at which companies are asking IDEM for leniency during the COVID-19 crisis, and people living near the Michigan City Generating Station prepare their response to a coal ash pond clean up plan that could leave behind a legacy of pollution.

84. On Air with IER: Episode 62 (20:46)

Date:
2020-05-18
Summary:
This week: More than half a dozen Indiana communities will take the first steps in cleaning up potentially contaminated plots of land, and parts of two Indiana cities have met federal air quality standards but may not be free of health hazards.

85. On Air with IER: Episode 63 (15:19)

Date:
2020-05-25
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Monroe County officials and two environmental groups sue to stop the U.S. Forest Service from implementing a plan they say could pollute Lake Monroe, and changes to a chemical reporting law could allow more companies to be exempt from reporting what chemicals they make near you.

86. On Air with IER: Episode 64 (23:06)

Date:
2020-06-08
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Researchers from Midwestern universities say the region needs to transform its current agricultural system to survive in the current century, and new survey results find a majority of Hoosiers agree on climate change issues once they get past some key points.

87. On Air with IER: Episode 65 (20:48)

Date:
2020-06-15
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A federal court ordered the EPA to ban the sale of three dicamba herbicides after understating the products risks and understating their damage, plus Congress hears how environmental injustice is helping COVID-19 hit some communities much harder than others.

88. On Air with IER: Episode 66 (18:06)

Date:
2020-06-22
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A coalition of groups from across the nation threaten to sue the EPA unless it reviews flare standards for the first time in three decades, and a Goshen man faces multiple charges for an alleged "green product" scheme targeting Amish investors.

89. On Air with IER: Episode 67 (21:07)

Date:
2020-07-06
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A legal battle between IDEM and the EPA over the air quality designation for a small part of Huntington County could get even more complicated after three groups threaten to sue over supposed inaction, plus an Indiana farmer was one of several witnesses invited to testify about the proposed Growing Climate Solutions Act and other help farmers might need to enter the carbon credit market.

90. On Air with IER: Episode 68 (18:55)

Date:
2020-07-13
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A group of scientists say a family of thousands of persistent and potentially toxic chemicals known as PFAS should be treated as a single chemical class to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to reduce their harm to human health and the environment, and the EPA wants to know what you think about a plan to cleanup the site of a former coal ash landfill threatening the Indiana Dunes National Park.

91. On Air with IER: Episode 69 (25:54)

Date:
2020-07-20
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Once known for the healing power of its spring-fed spas, the city of Martinsville, Indiana now faces the specter of health threats caused by the contamination of its water supply.

92. On Air with IER: Episode 7 (15:40)

Date:
2018-12-17
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: A Chinese law threatens to reduce the number of endangered Amur tigers in the wild, and your choice of Christmas tree could make a significant environmental and economic difference.

93. On Air with IER: Episode 70 (17:51)

Date:
2020-07-27
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: East Chicago residents are concerned the EPA will delist 671 properties from the Superfund National Priorities List before all health threats are removed, and a court has ordered the EPA to reassess whether Porter County meets national air quality standards for ozone.

94. On Air with IER: Episode 71 (16:07)

Date:
2020-08-03
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA finalized a rule that could delay the closure of toxic coal ash ponds in Indiana and elsewhere, and new survey results find that race plays a role in how Hoosiers experience and perceive climate change and its risks.

95. On Air with IER: Episode 72 (18:32)

Date:
2020-08-10
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: The EPA wants to know what you think about a plan to clean up a toxic Superfund site in Martinsville, a coalition in northwestern Indiana gives out awards for clean air contributions, and, after four years, the Trump administration restarts a committee meant to advise the USDA on ways to keep federal programs available to socially disadvantaged farmers.

96. On Air with IER: Episode 73 (21:09)

Date:
2020-08-17
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: Youth activists from West Lafayette want Purdue University to commit to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and the IDEM commissioner speaks about the agency's actions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

97. On Air with IER: Episode 74 (26:00)

Date:
2020-08-25
Main contributors:
Edwards, Beth, Saenz, Enrique
Summary:
This week: IER's Beth takes a look at complicated legacy of large scale farming in Indiana. It helps farmers stay in business and gets food to stores, but at what cost?

98. 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.

99. 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.

100. 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.