On October 17, the Indiana Chamber took a contingent of members from its environmental and energy committees to Chicago for a meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator, Cathy Stepp, and her staff, along with Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Commissioner Bruno Pigott and other key IDEM staff. The purpose of the trip was to receive an update on environmental priorities. Both agencies noted goals of better communication with the regulated community and quicker response times on permitting.

PFAS and ethylene oxide are two new areas that the EPA is watching and will likely gather information on before making a decision on whether these areas need changed and regulation increased. Of particular note is EPA’s establishment of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division (ECAD), which was created in all 10 EPA regions on April 27, 2019.

ECAD is responsible for developing and implementing Region 5 enforcement and compliance assurance programs and statutes EPA administers in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio.  CAD works closely with the other Region 5 divisions to deliver a comprehensive enforcement and compliance assurance program. Sara Breneman, the ECAD deputy director, indicated that the division is there to help the regulated community. For further information, check here or email Breneman at breneman.sara@epa.gov.


INDOT Gives I-69 Update

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) held three public meetings this week that provided information on the sixth and final Interstate 69 section between Evansville and Indianapolis, which includes design refinements and the “I-69 Finish Line” construction schedule. That project begins in Martinsville and ends in Indianapolis.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2024 at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. For further information, see https://i69finishline.com. INDOT’s presentation can be downloaded at  https://www.dropbox.com/s/eu74wlp0dynue0r/Project%20Presentation.pdf?dl=0.

 Resource: Greg Ellis at (317) 264-6881 or email: gellis@indianachamber.com