Daniels halts funding for local IDEM air monitoring.

Mitch Daniels is continuing his assault on environmental enforcement. He has now cut funding for Hammond's department of Environmental management, along with Gary's.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1361035,idem.article

Janet McCabe, executive director of Improving Kids' Environment and former IDEM assistant commissioner of the Office of Air Quality, questioned IDEM's argument of efficiency. She said the loss of local expertise and limited state resources will lead to less attention to local air quality issues.

"The local agencies ... they are better at responding to citizen complaints. They are closer," McCabe said.

Some cities can respond to a complaint in a day or two, she said, while the state's policy is to respond within 30 days, often with a letter rather than a visit.
Daniels is billing this move as part of a cost-cutting effort but I see it differently. In order to stop major industry from illegal pollution,you have to respond to resident's complaints and catch the offenders. Sending letters thirty days after the fact will do nothing to fix the problem.As Governor of Indiana,Mitch Daniels has a responsibility to protect our air and water from harm. He is failing in this task.

So does this mean we don't have to have our emissions tested on our cars anymore?

Face wrote:

So does this mean we don't have to have our emissions tested on our cars anymore?

I'm sure if it were up to Mitch Daniels, emission testing stations would be closed as a cost cutting measure. Emission testing is part of a federal program and it will stay in place until air quality improves. http://nwi.com/articles/2007/05/15/news/lake_county/doc058b76f8f1bc6283862572dc000a9723.txt

I hope it does go away

It is a waste of money the way it is set up right now

Marion County has worse air than Lake and Porter Counties, but they do not have to do the bullshit emission testing

The Federal EPA wants to know more information about what Mitch Daniels is doing to the IDEM.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1391329,epameetsidem.article
from the story
"It has come to our attention that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has made or is planning to make several changes to its enforcement program," EPA Acting Regional Administrator Bharat Mathur wrote in the Jan. 20 letter to IDEM Commissioner Tom Easterly.

"These changes include eliminating the Office of Enforcement, revising the Compliance and Enforcement Policy (CERP), and eliminating funding for local air authorities."

EPA Region 5 "would like to discuss the nature, extent and status of these changes with IDEM so that we can evaluate their impact on the State's federally authorized, delegated and/or approved environmental programs," Mathur said in the letter to IDEM, which was sent Tuesday.


This is a story that the Times is not covering at all. I am a subscriber of the Post and I have been pleased with the paper. It is one fourth of the cost of the Times and they are doing a good job covering stories like this that the Times ignores. Another nice feature is that the Post-Tribune posts reader comments immediately, instead of selectively posting reader comments like the Times does.

Actually, with most cars phased out prior to 2000, I see no reason for emission testing...just the slummers that drive beat up lime-green 1972 cars..

In all honesty, the emission tests should be eliminated, and what should be under more strict scrutiny are the smoke stacks found along the beaches of Lake Michigan, emitting fog, cookie flavor emissions, and when you think of it, if you go by Joliet, all you see is smog emitting from whatever the heck is there besides landfills. Why are they picking on little pipe snippers? Weed out cars under a certain age, and focus on the industries that are really messing up the environment.

If you want to really spread out the dollars, where is all the bird crap falling? You know, the pigeon crap, the whatever flies in the air with airplanes...that stuff drops down on ya...I wish I could have remembered to ask the health department to check out the pigeon crap on my basement apartment's porch (in Hegewisch)....I heard you could get cancer from that crap, or something to affect your health. It's one thing if I do it to myself, but I'll be darn if a pigeon is gonna end it for me.

The emission checking needs to end. Start putting the rubber pipe on top of the smoke stacks and see if it doesn't blow the worker apart.

Come to think about it, the way the economy is, there won't be too many cars around to subject themselves to emission tests.

Even if there were, I think the employees would rig the machines to keep their jobs. Sleep tight.

This has nothing to do with cars but it does have a lot to do with the chenical plants and refineries around town. Basically the state is taking away the grant money that provided Hammond with inspectors to respond to environmental complaints in Hammond. I called them recently about an odor near Keil Chemical and although they figured it was sewer gas they did respond and found out that Keil had a incident where a filtering system malfunctioned. Keil responded quickly and the situation was under control but if these inspectors were in Indianapolis we never would have known it happened. TYhis is bad legislation and puts people at risk in one of the heaviest industrial areas in the State. If yyou only knew what was in those train cars as they roll by you would demand there be representation closer thenIndianapolis.

Well then by all means, the mayor should cut off all funding of casino revenues to downstate until they comply with Federal regulations. If he can't do that, which I don't think he can, he should use some connections to the feds to straighten out this mess.

Who the hell does Mitch think he is hoarding billions, telling the state he has no money, and letting all hell break lose in Indiana...is he Ex-Gov. Rod's friend?

Sometimes I think Indiana is being run like downstate Alabama or Mississippi. Backwards, behind the times. What not.

voter3 wrote:

This has nothing to do with cars but it does have a lot to do with the chenical plants and refineries around town. Basically the state is taking away the grant money that provided Hammond with inspectors to respond to environmental complaints in Hammond. I called them recently about an odor near Keil Chemical and although they figured it was sewer gas they did respond and found out that Keil had a incident where a filtering system malfunctioned. Keil responded quickly and the situation was under control but if these inspectors were in Indianapolis we never would have known it happened. TYhis is bad legislation and puts people at risk in one of the heaviest industrial areas in the State. If yyou only knew what was in those train cars as they roll by you would demand there be representation closer thenIndianapolis.

Here is a story from the Post-Tribune about the changes at the IDEM.http://www.post-trib.com/news/1402739,gaeasterly.article Mitch is going to find substanial opposition to his plans. IMO, the best thing that can be done is to call the Governor's office and complain.

Sparks, if it comes down to spending money on air quality or to schools, which do you think the voters would be behind?

mike3775 wrote:

Sparks, if it comes down to spending money on air quality or to schools, which do you think the voters would be behind?

Why should we choose? Pollution is bad for our health, bad for business, bad for the future. The benefits of education have always been a positive force in society. What makes you think as a society we must choose between clean air and water or education?

With the economy the way it is right now, guess what, we can either fund the air monitors, or fund education.

Guess which one more people are going to say to fund first

Better yet, lets say that Hammond can hire 3 more police/fire fighters with the money, or fund the air monitors, guess which ones the people will want

Right now, people want education and public safety funded first, the environment is second.

And honestly, if the state has been funding these monitors, where the hell have they been for the past 20 years? BP is still throwing tons of pollutants into the air, so has Mittal and US Steel. They have not been doing their jobs at all.

Why do you think the air quality is so bad in this area? Its not the vehicles causing it