Indiana is one of the top 10 coal producing states. Its total coal consumption ranks third in the nation, after only Texas and Illinois, and its coal consumption for electricity generation ranks second in the nation. In 2017, about 70% of the state's electricity was generated by coal. In the same year, wind provided only 5% of Indiana's electricity generation, and hydroelectricity, biomass, and solar power combined accounted for just 1%.
Given that the burning of fossil fuels leads to detrimental environmental and health impacts, it's no secret why in 2018, Indiana ranked 48th out of 50 states for air quality and pollution, 48th for pollution health risks, and 34th for drinking water quality according to U.S. News and World Report.
THERE IS A BETTER WAY
The cost of renewable energy is dropping every single day. In fact, in some cases it is already cheaper to build renewable energy sources in Indiana than to keep existing coal power plants open. NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Commission), the state's second largest utility provider, announced late last year that they would move to phase out all coal-fired generation in favor of a portfolio of wind, solar, and demand management by 2028. By doing so, they estimate that they will save its customers $4 billion over 30 years.
And there are jobs in clean energy—lots of them. In 2017, the clean energy industry employed over 80,000 Hoosiers. Fossil fuels like coal and natural gas? Only 17,000.
The future is clean, renewable energy, and Hoosiers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how electricity is generated for their homes and businesses. No longer with the old, dirty, outdated, wasteful approaches of the past—like coal-burning power plants run by state-sanctioned monopolies—but with clean, new, innovative approaches like those powered by sunshine, such as rooftop solar owned by families and individuals. That’s why we support policies like Indiana Senate Bill 430 that eliminates the net metering phaseout that will make it harder for Hoosiers to generate their own clean, renewable solar energy.
Indiana's energy future is marked not by the centralized, dirty, harmful sources of the past, but by distributed, clean renewables. Share this message with your elected officials by signing our petition today!
SIGN THE PETITION:
As young, Evangelical Hoosiers, we believe one of our highest callings is to love God and to love our neighbor. The effects of pollution and a changing climate from the burning of fossil fuels pose direct threats both to God’s good creation and to our neighbor’s flourishing. We believe that working to quickly transition Indiana’s economy toward 100% renewable clean energy is an opportunity to love God and our neighbor better, while simultaneously positioning Indiana to be a 21st century energy leader.
We ask Governor Holcomb and the Indiana Legislature to support policies that achieve 100% clean electricity in our state by 2030.