Rebecca Thiele
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The Alcoa Warrick plant in southern Indiana has had more pollution violations than any other aluminum smelter in the country in recent years. That’s according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project showing aluminum production is a major source of greenhouse gases and air and water pollution.
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Birds and other wildlife that eat game killed with lead shot can have issues flying and reproductive problems. People who rely on wild game for food can also suffer health issues. Lead is also found in some fishing tackle and was responsible for nearly half of all loon deaths from the early 80s to 2012.
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So far, Indiana Department of Emergency Management has found unhealthy levels of PFAS in 19 drinking water utilities. Some listeners who get their water from these utilities wanted to know how they can protect themselves and their families.
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Common wall lizards aren’t dangerous to people, but the agency worries they could compete with native lizards for food and shelter — and it wants to learn more.
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Freshwater mussels are very sensitive to water quality changes. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, nearly half of all freshwater mussels in Indiana are either endangered, a species of special concern, or can no longer be found in the state.
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That includes utilities serving the cities of Logansport, Columbus, Elkhart, and Sellersburg as well as Watson Rural Water Company.
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As more people go electric, funding for roads is expected to go down. Pressel said a state task force is looking into a better way to pay for Indiana’s roads.
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Indiana is a powerhouse for steel manufacturing — more than a quarter of all U.S. steel is made here. But the state could lose that title if it doesn’t transition to a greener way of making steel. That’s according to a new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana.
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Nitrous oxide isn’t just “laughing gas” — it’s also a greenhouse gas that’s more than 200 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Corn farmers in Indiana and the rest of the U.S. use a lot of nitrogen fertilizer on their fields — which releases nitrous oxide.
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The Environmental Protection Agency wants to significantly lower the amount of dust from lead paint in homes and child care centers across the U.S. That could have a big impact in Indiana — where doctors have to offer lead screening for every child under 6.