This fast-moving bill has already passed out of the Senate and into the House. Although the intention was to simplify the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' requirements and duties, the measures only make the state less safe. At the hearing, it was clear that this entire piece of legislation, well-intentioned as it sounds, has been pushed through in a short time, without the necessary study or understanding on the part of those being asked to vote on this far-reaching bill. Among other measures, SB 277:

• changes around 40 "shalls" to "mays" (thus taking away duties of IDEM)

• eliminates requirements to consider public health and safety in their permitting processes, since it defines those concerns as "burdensome"

• changes IDEM’s duty to respond to pollution events

• reduces the responsibilities of the Rule Board and Commissioner regarding industrial permits

• eliminates IDEM's oversight related to the radioactive, hazardous and toxic waste resulting from the operations of nuclear reactors

• removes the IDEM Commissioner's authority to call a public hearing on the risks to public health and safety posed by nuclear reactors

• ignores the scientific definition of "Forever Chemicals" and lets polluters off the hook for such toxins, thus making it harder for IDEM to research and test most PFAS pollution already in our environment.

Importantly, current federal policy is heading in the direction of weakening federal environmental standards (EPA) in order to let the states set their own standards. SB 277 considerably weakens our current state safety net by making unnecessary cuts. Indiana deserves better.