Indiana Department of Environmental Management Budget Loses $35 Million
Monday, December 30, 2019
Funding for an Indiana agency that oversees hazardous spills and the safety of water and air has been decreasing over the last decade, according to a report by a nonprofit organization.
The Environmental Integrity Project’s report also concluded that the slashes in funding for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management happened even as the state government’s spending budget increased. IDEM’s budget lost nearly $35 million in the last decade, accounting for inflation, the report showed.
IDEM’s budget comes from various sources, which include the state’s overall fund, federal money and income from waste permit fees. Companies that emit waste must pay for permits to operate in Indiana under safe water and air guidelines. The budget decreased partly because fewer waste permit fees have been issued.
The report by EIP, which monitors and encourages enforcement of environmental laws, concludes that the hazardous waste management program lost 76% of its budget from 2008 to 2018. IDEM’s staffing also dropped by almost 150 employees over those 10 years.
The report also points to 23 wastewater plants and industrial facilities in the state that are in significant noncompliance of the Clean Water Act, while 72 plants are listed in Environment Protection Agency records as having “high priority violations” of the Clean Air Act.
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