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Thursday, September 16, 2004

Environment - Frustrated by IDEM, Berne finds assistance elsewhere

"Frustrated by IDEM, Berne finds assistance elsewhere" is the headline to this story today in the Decatur Daily Democrat that reports:

Frustrated in their attempts to convince Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) that numerous projects under way in Berne to alleviate flooding and eliminate combined sewer overflows should be sufficient to have the state agency lift a building ban in the city, Berne municipal officials turned to the Indiana lieutenant governor's office for assistance.

That move apparently has paid dividends.

Mayor John Minch termed an August 31 meeting with IDEM, coordinated by the lieutenant governor's office, as "more positive" than previous sessions.

"I felt IDEM was starting to listen to us," Minch told Berne City Council on Monday.

In my experience, this is not a new strategy. It marks the continuing tension between environmental concerns and economic development.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 16, 2004 07:43 PM
Posted to Environmental Issues | Indiana economic development