Melissa Williams, melissa.williams@sierraclub.org
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Sen. Mark Messmer, chair of the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee, has refused to hear Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 and Senate Bill 255, two pieces of climate legislation authored by Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette), sponsored by legislators from both sides of the aisle, and championed by Confront the Climate Crisis, a high school student-led statewide campaign that seeks to engage Hoosiers and Indiana policymakers in climate action.
In response, Wendy Bredhold, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Indiana, and Amanda Shepherd, director of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, released the following joint statement:
“It’s a dereliction of duty and a betrayal to Hoosiers everywhere that Sen. Messmer has refused to hear this legislation and listen to young people, who are most vulnerable to the emerging impacts of climate change. It’s shameful that these courageous youth, and Hoosiers in general, don’t have the leadership we need to protect our collective futures.
“Climate change is here. Indiana’s decision-makers should respect the findings of our universities, which have invested significant resources in research showing real impacts from the climate crisis, including extreme weather patterns that could threaten our communities’ access to clean drinking water, as well as make it harder for Indiana’s thousands of farmers to maintain healthy crops.
“Sen. Messmer and all of our leaders at the state legislature need to stop ignoring the facts, listen to our youth, and act now to reduce the catastrophic environmental and public health effects of climate change.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.