hec environmental advocates - hecweb.org · the plan to tackle our environmental challenges and...
TRANSCRIPT
About the Hoosier Environmental Council
OUR MISSION:
The Hoosier Environmental Council is the voice of the people for
the environment in Indiana-the organization with the passion and
the plan to tackle our environmental challenges and help make our
state a healthier, better place to live and do business.
About HEC’s Work
Education
Presentations, e.g. “Greening Your Community” events
Webinars
Annual “Greening the Statehouse” forum
Advocacy
Legislative
Regulatory
Courts
Technical Assistance
Workshops in pollution-afflicted communities
Legal/technical assistance to individuals and groups
Help Raise Awareness
www.facebook.com/hecweb
www.twitter.com/HEC_ED
www.instagram.com/hoosierenvcouncil
www.youtube.com/user/hecweb1
Make a Bigger Impact
1. Engage legislators at a Third House
meeting
2. Meet your legislators in person
3. Send a personalized email to your
legislator
Greening Your Community House Parties
Who: Anyone interested in
environmental advocacy!
When: Anytime!
Where: Homes of HEC
supporters, restaurants,
churches, rec halls, etc.
all across the state!
Our goal is to develop a statewide network
of environmental advocates to tap
throughout the year.
• Your time commitment as an EA is
entirely up to you!
• Calls to Constituents
• Background research
• Third House Party Attendance
• Visiting your legislators at the
statehouse regarding important bills
• Tabling at Events (Earth Month, other
festivals, for both HEC & Mounds)
• Organizing/Attending GYC Events
BEING AN HEC
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE
The Path of a Bill in the House/Senate
• Bill is introduced in
House or Senate
• Bill is assigned to
committee during first
reading on floor of
house of origin
• Committee chair decides
whether bill is heard in
committee
The Path of a Bill in the House/Senate
• If bill passes committee,
it gets a second reading
on the floor. Can be
amended here and
returned to committee.
• Third reading – roll call
vote to determine if
adopted or defeated by
house of origin.
The Path of a Bill in the House/Senate
• If defeated, the bill is
dead.
• If passed, the bill goes
to the other chamber
(House or Senate) and
through the same
process again.
• If the bill is adopted by the second chamber
then it goes to the governor for a signature or a
veto.
• Indiana’s powerful utility
lobby, with ideological allies in
the legislature, attempted to
eliminate net metering in 2015
with the push to pass HB
1320.
• Due to the enormous
opposition to this bill, Speaker
Brian Bosma wisely chose to
kill HB 1320 by not putting it
to a House vote.
SB 309/HB 1188:
THE ANTI-SOLAR BILLS
SB 309/HB 1188:
THE ANTI-SOLAR BILLS
• SB 309 would generally create
significant financial roadblocks to
those homes seeking to install solar
panels and small wind turbines.
• The key roadblock is to reduce the credits, in a matter of
a few years, that renewable energy customer-generators
receive for selling excess power back to the grid. • In more technical speak, moving from a net metered/“retail rate”
of compensation to an “avoided cost” form of compensation
when a given utility gets 1% of their load from net
metered customer-owned generation.
HB 1001:
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET
• The 2018-2019 budget is expected to authorize about $16
billion a year in state spending from the general fund.
• Another $15 billion a year will be appropriated from
dedicated funds (fees and dedicated taxes) and federal
funding.
• Our state budget provides much-needed funds in caring
for and protecting our environment and the health of all
Hoosiers.
HB 1001:
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET
• Less than 1% of total state general fund appropriations
go to IDEM and DNR, yet both of these agencies have
experienced regular budget cuts over the last 10 years.
• This has left both agencies operating without
adequate staff for inspections, compliance, or
environmental quality monitoring. In addition,
funding for the Indiana Heritage Trust has been cut,
leaving many conservation projects unfunded.
HB 1001:
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET HEC’s Requested Target Funding Levels:
• IDEM & DNR – restore funding to pre-
recession levels
• IDEM: Increase permit fees to a level
that fully funds the cost of permitting
programs. Reestablish and fund an
independent enforcement branch within
IDEM.
• DNR: Replace the Division of
Forestry’s lost dedicated revenue source
so that state forest timber sales are not
relied on for Division funding
HB 1001:
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET
HEC’s Requested Target Funding Levels:
• Clean Water Indiana - $2 M per year
• Helps landowners prevent soil erosion, nutrients
and other runoff that impair Indiana’s waterways by
funding best management practices
• Benjamin Harrison - $3 to $5 M per year
• Has received no meaningful state appropriation
since 2009
• Funded by environmental license plate revenues,
which are declining.
HB 1001:
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET
HEC’s Requested Target Funding Levels:
• Mass Transit Fund - $60 M per year
• With rising operating costs and increased demand,
Indiana’s transit agencies estimate they need at least
$60 million a year from the state just to maintain
current service levels.
• Passenger Rail - $4 M per year
• Will help build this passenger rail service into a
competitive travel choice for people
traveling between Chicago and Indy or
the communities in between.
CALL TO ACTION! PROPOSED
LEGISLATION
INFO & CALL TO ACTION
FOR CITIZENS
HB 1001: Biennial Budget
• Less than 1% of total state general fund appropriations go to IDEM
and DNR, yet both of these agencies have experienced regular budget
cuts over the last 10 years
• Restore funding for IDEM & DNR to pre-recession levels
• Appropriate $3 to $5 million a year for the Harrison Conservation
Trust, ideally from a dedicated, continuing source of revenue.
• Appropriate $2 million a year in addition to the cigarette tax revenue
for Clean Water Indiana
• Increase funding of the Hoosier State train to $5 million a year
TAKE ACTION: Call your legislators!
SB 309/HB 1188:
Distributed Generation
• Will threaten citizens’ ability to choose renewable energy for their
homes.
• Will allow utilities to opt out of connecting private systems to the grid.
• Effectively ends net metering “when the utilities meet a total
subscription rate of 1% of their summer peak load, or by 2027,
whichever comes first.”
TAKE ACTION: Contact members of both the House &
Senate Utility committees and ask them to VOTE NO on SB
309/HB 1188!