Gov. Mike Braun signed two executive orders Monday that focus on the state's natural resources. One aims to develop a new market for Indiana’s toxic coal ash waste, while the other would further research water resources in the state.
Some of the very metals that make coal ash toxic also make it valuable. Things like lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel can be used to make batteries, smart phones and wind turbines.
Braun’s executive order would create a council to lead efforts to mine the state’s coal ash waste. In a statement, the governor said the U.S. can’t depend on China for rare earth elements and that Indiana has an opportunity to “power the modern economy.”
Indra Frank serves as the Hoosier Environmental Council’s coal ash advisor. She said it would be good to see Indiana's millions of tons of coal ash put to good use. But Frank had concerns about what would happen after those metals are extracted.
“The rare earth minerals Governor Braun is proposing to recover out of coal ash are a minor fraction of the ash, so once those minerals are recovered, most of the coal ash will be leftover and will need to be disposed of responsibly," Frank said. "Currently, the majority of Indiana’s coal ash is contaminating groundwater and it is stored in the floodplain, where it poses a spill risk."
READ MORE: Braun orders aim to keep coal plants online, advance nuclear, sidestep climate damages
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Another of Braun’s executive orders creates a statewide inventory of Indiana’s water resources. It’s not clear how this would differ from the regional water studies the Indiana Finance Authority has been working on since 2019.
Groups like the Indiana Chamber of Commerce have raised concerns about the pace of the IFA's work. It said conflicts over water for projects like the LEAP industrial district in Lebanon show the state needs a statewide water plan now.
This story has been updated with comments from the Hoosier Environmental Council.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.