INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed two new environmental policy-related executive orders Wednesday, aiming to reduce over-regulation while protecting the environment.
According to a news release from Braun’s office, the two orders center on the state’s environmental policy and are focused on “preserving (the state’s) abundant natural resources while fostering growth in Indiana.”
This comes after Braun has signed a series of executive orders on several topics since he first came to office in January, including ones that centered on:
- Unemployment fraud and work search requirements
- Medicaid costs
- Immigration
- Healthcare
- Eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from state government
“Today, I signed two executive orders to reduce overregulation and create opportunity while protecting our environment,” Braun said in a statement on social media after the two orders were signed. “Indiana will follow federal environmental standards and will not adopt “environmental justice” policies. Our environmental policy will focus solely on sound science, preserving natural resources, promoting economic growth and safeguarding Hoosiers’ health.”
Executive Order 25-38: Creating Opportunity and Reducing Over-Regulation While Protecting Our Environment
The release states that this first order makes the federal environmental standards of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act as Indiana’s standards.
Braun said that this order will ensure that Indiana will not adopt new regulations more stringent than the national standards, unless they are required by state law or are found necessary by the Governor’s office.
Going further than the federal standards, in Braun’s view, creates “a complex web of regulations for businesses and farmers to navigate.” The release said that these regulations also stifle innovation and raise the cost of living.
“We can protect our environment and grow our economy, and the federal standards of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act are an appropriate baseline to strike that balance,” Braun said in the release. “Adhering to the national standards will give Hoosier businesses and communities regulatory certainty and encourage new businesses to invest and grow here in Indiana where they know the compliance framework already — all while safeguarding Hoosiers’ health and preserving our natural resources.”
Executive Order 25-37: Indiana’s Environmental Policy Will be Based on Sound Science, not Politicized ‘Environmental Justice’
This order stresses that the state of Indiana will not use “environmental justice” in making environmental policy decisions. Braun said in the release that other states have used “environmental justice” to make decisions “on the basis of race and other factors.”
“Indiana’s environmental policy will be based solely on sound science – not a political agenda like ‘environmental justice,'” Braun said in the release. “My environmental policy is all about preserving our abundant natural resources, fostering economic development, and safeguarding Hoosiers’ health.”
In a statement from Indiana State Rep. Maureen Bauer, a Democrat from South Bend, she expressed “grave concern(s)” with Braun’s new orders, stating that they aim to “limit and undermine the ability of the Indiana General Assembly to enact laws and regulations that best serve (Indiana) and its residents.”
“Deferring Indiana’s clean water and air regulations to Washington D.C. contradicts the principles once championed by the state’s Republican leadership,” Bauer said in the statement. “Before Gov. Braun became a D.C. politician, he served in the state legislature, where he understood that we – not Washington, D.C. – know what is best for our communities.
“Environmental policy should be driven by science, not political agendas or fear of doing what is right. Gov. Braun’s actions today align with the Trump administration’s repeated efforts to slash funding and cut jobs at the EPA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH),” Bauer continued. “Weakened federal protections disproportionately endanger communities already burdened by pollution while also jeopardizing key industries, such as agriculture and tourism, sectors that are vital to Indiana’s economy and workforce. Sustainable economic growth relies on responsible environmental stewardship, not reckless deregulation.”
For a full look at each of the orders that Braun has signed, click here.
