Indiana lawmakers stripped protections for wetlands. Here's why that matters to other states

Governor Eric Holcomb signed controversial House Bill 1383 into law on Monday, but the law has implications for surrounding states.

Here's what you need to know.

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface for extended periods, including during the growing season, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to Indiana's Department of Natural Resources, wetlands include bogs, dune and swale, fens, flatwoods, floodplain forests, marshes, ponds, lakes, sedge meadows, seeps, streams, creeks, major rivers and swamps.

Experts say they all are crucial for the environment because they filter water.

Indiana wetlands: Here's why environmentalists keep fighting.

Why is protecting Indiana wetlands important?

Indiana already has the most polluted rivers and streams in the country, according to a 2022 report by the Environmental Integrity Project. Regardless, state lawmakers have been nibbling away at wetland protections for years, said Dan Borrit, executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation.

The reason the government started to protect waterways and establish the Clean Water Act, was because people had polluted them so much that they were unsafe, Borrit said.

Every time wetlands are removed or protections are cut back, he said, “we are inching closer to that scenario again."

What is Indiana House Bill 1383?

House Bill 1383 redefines what is considered to be a wetland and rolls back protections on the few remaining wetlands across the state.

Was the Indiana wetlands law signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb?

Even though he opposed a 2021 bill that marked the first gutting of Indiana's wetlands law, Gov. Holcomb signed House Bill 1383 into law on Monday.

"This collaborative effort strikes a necessary balance of protecting and preserving Indiana's vital wetlands while supporting economic growth," a statement Holcomb sent to IndyStar Monday said.

What has been the reaction locally to the bill?

Many residents and experts disagree with Holcomb's statement.

Indiana had already lost more than 85% of its wetlands in the last century, most drained for agriculture and development. And in the two years after the 2021 law, Senate Enrolled Act 389, more than 250 acres were completely lost due to the state no longer requiring mitigation.

Hoosiers have sent more than 1,000 emails to Indiana lawmakers in recent days calling for more, not fewer, protections for wetlands — the result of Hoosier Environmental Council-led efforts.

The group also submitted to Holcomb's office a letter and petition, currently with upwards of 1,300 signatures, asking the governor to essentially kill the bill.

Why does it matter to other states?

Water that falls across Indiana eventually ends up in surrounding states and two of the nation’s major water bodies: the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.

The state has 45 miles of Lake Michigan’s shoreline and is home to the headwaters of the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie and is the largest river basin in the Great Lakes. Across the rest of the state, water ends up in the Ohio River — a major tributary of the Mississippi.

"The people losing out the greatest are those that are downstream from these states that decide to decrease their level of protection," said Marla Stelk, executive director of the National Association of Wetland Managers

Another issue is that if one state, such as Indiana, weakens or gets rid of protections, it'll affect others.

Wisconsin and Michigan — which have stiffer wetland protections — share Lake Michigan with Indiana, so anything Indiana does will affect everyone, said Melissa Scanlan, director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Illinois is currently crafting legislation to enshrine protections for wetlands.

The states that share that water will have to “pick up the slack” to keep it clean, said Brian Vigue, policy director at Audubon Great Lakes.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Great Lakes states are concerned about Indiana's wetlands. Here's why