Robyn Skuya-Boss, Sierra Club Field Organizing Strategist.
This year the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) received a grant through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to conduct a statewide greenhouse gas inventory and launch a process to draft a historic and first of its kind Priority Climate Action Plan for our state. This plan will determine how much federal IRA funding will be made available to benefit Hoosiers.
Whether investing in green schools, public transportation, expanding access to renewable energy for environmental justice and low income communities, or reducing energy burden on customers struggling to pay their utility bills, there is federal funding that can make a big difference in the lives of Hoosier families.
A surprising truth about Indiana is that our state is a leader in the country in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by retiring coal-fired power plants. In the last decade Indiana has reduced climate pollution by 27% by retiring aging power infrastructure and that number will continue to rise as many of Indiana’s Super Polluters are scheduled to retire in the next five years. Now the race is on to replace retiring coal plants with affordable clean renewable energy. We can’t afford to fall behind and leave federal investments on the table.
As the Hoosier Chapter Energy Committee Chair, Joab Schultheis put it, “This is an unprecedented opportunity for IDEM to submit an ambitious Climate Action Plan that benefits all Hoosiers. We want IDEM to partner with local communities, including environmental justice communities, so they can implement clean, renewable energy projects that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs for Hoosiers.”
IDEM will need to submit its Priority Climate Action Plan in March of 2024 to apply for certain federal grant opportunities and is requesting input from the public by November 29.
You can take action and make your voice heard with Sierra Club by signing our petition at sc.org/INClimate or visit our resources doc at tinyurl.com/climateplanresources24.
IDEM’s public survey (closes November 29):
English Survey Link
Para responder a la encuesta en español, haga clic aquí