Advocate blast Braun for barring social justice factors in environmental policy decisions

• Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order saying Indiana regulations cannot be more stringent than federal regulations.

This story has been updated with new information

Gov. Mike Braun issued executive orders today prohibiting the use of social justice factors in environmental policy decisions and realigning Indiana's environmental regulations to ease burdens on business and industry.

Environmental advocates responded quickly, calling the order rushed, short sighted and "a disconnect between what sustains us now and what will sustain us in the future.”

The orders dovetail with a federal push to prohibit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and claw back federal money meant to provide historically disadvantaged communities with environmental investments, such as INDOT's Charging the Crossroads program.

Braun's actions came the same day the U.S. EPA rolled back dozens of regulations including terminating the agency's Environmental Justice office and relaxing rules around fossil fuel companies.

Prohibiting environmental justice

Braun called environmental justice a "political agenda" and said the state will make policy based on "sound science."

"Today, I'm also signing an executive order to make clear that Indiana will not be using the concept of environmental justice in our permitting or enforcement decisions," Braun said.

The executive order says environmental permitting and enforcement decisions can not use factors such as race, ethnicity, educational attainment or other social factors.

Sam Carpenter, executive director of Hoosier Environmental Council, said the idea that environmental justice is a race-based initiative is a misunderstanding and it’s much broader than that. The census tracts where this work needs to be done have primarily white populations, he said.

“What environmental justice is trying to account for are these communities that have felt disproportionate brunt of pollution in communities,” Carpenter said. “We need to lift everyone up and ensure everyone has the right to clean air and clean water.”

Aligning state regulations with federal

The other executive order Braun signed this morning would not allow Indiana to adopt environmental regulations that are stricter than federal regulations like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.

Braun said many other states go beyond these federal guidelines and create a "complex web" of regulations for businesses.

"Over regulation stifles innovation and raises the cost of living," Braun said. "We can grow our economy and protect our environment, and I believe the federal standards are appropriate baseline to strike that balance today."

Shannon Anderson, with Earth Charter Indiana, said the group has been pushing back against “no more stringent than” language for years in the statehouse.

“A ton of stakeholder groups are opposed to that language and for it to come out in this fashion feels disrespectful to many groups that are based in science and community organizing that opposed this language,” Anderson said. “It’s rushed and not very thoughtful.”

David Van Gilder, with Hoosier Environmental Council, said there is a disconnect that can happen as to what sustains life. People may see the environment as something that can be ignored, but it’s the natural basis for how we live our lives, he said.

“Looking at short-term profit at the expense of air, water and soil quality is exacerbating this disconnect between what sustains us now and what will sustain us in the future,” van Gilder said. “That equation is not going to be favorable if we destroy the natural basis of life.”

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social