House Bill 1003 would eliminate the Indiana Natural Resources Commission and a few other state boards. Among other things, the NRC dedicates nature preserves, sets camping fees and guides how state laws should be interpreted.
Conservation advocates worry this will mean less opportunity for the public to get involved in these decisions.
Dan Boritt is executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation. He said the NRC is the main way the Department of Natural Resources gets feedback from the public — and losing it could silence that voice.
Boritt said the commission itself is partly staffed by Indiana residents who "live and breathe the outdoors."
"These are people who hunt our woods, fish our streams and hike our trails," he said.
Stephanie Flittner serves as general counsel for the Department of Natural Resources. She said the agency itself is neutral on the bill, but the DNR administration doesn't feel the NRC is necessary anymore.
"Back in the 90s, for example, the NRC would coordinate with experts to make recommendations to the DNR and decide what to do. Now the DNR actually employs those very experts and we make the recommendations that then are enacted by the NRC," Flittner said.
Ginger Murphy is the communications chair for the Indiana Parks Alliance. She said unlike the DNR's new rule-making process, the NRC holds "regularly scheduled meetings with clear agendas for topical rules" and provides the public with more transparency about the process.
More than half of the commission are citizen members. Murphy said some members of the NRC also represent other state agencies that oversee areas like transportation and tourism.
"Certainly, DNR staff have expertise in natural and cultural resources, but the commission brings together that DNR expertise with knowledge from other agencies to make the best decisions for Indiana's resources and for the users of public lands," she said.
The bill would also eliminate the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission — which creates and reviews state building codes — and transfer those duties to the Department of Homeland Security.
Architects worry this means Indiana building codes will no longer be overseen by a diverse group of industry experts who understand these "highly technical" codes.
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