pollution

Midwest environmental groups are threatening to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for delaying action on polluted rivers and streams in Indiana.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and the Hoosier Environmental Council sent a letter Wednesday giving the EPA 60 days notice of their lawsuit. 

A foamy, white substance has been spotted coming out of the U.S. Steel plant in northwest Indiana. It’s flowing into the Burns Waterway — the same Lake Michigan tributary where the company spilled the cancer-causing chemical hexavalent chromium last year. 

Businesses that don’t factor in environmental risks could face financial consequences. That was one of the topics at Wednesday's 21st annual Pollution Prevention Conference in Indianapolis. 

A commission that controls pollution in the Ohio River could give up its regulatory abilities. Companies along the river say the commission’s rules are redundant. 

A legislative study committee this week will wrap up its examination of the state’s confined animal feeding operations — barns that feed hundreds to thousands of animals, such as pigs, cows and chickens.

The hearings have drawn impassioned testimony from supporters and opponents alike. Many crop farmers say the extra income from CAFOs helps keep family farms alive. But opponents say CAFOs can pollute waterways and emit a debilitating odor.

Committee chair Sen. Sue Glick (R-LaGrange) says there is a place for large-scale animal agriculture in Indiana.