INDIANAPOLIS—On Tuesday, Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) hosted her first public meeting to discuss Indiana’s air, water and soil quality.  Sen. Yoder released the following statement:

“Thank you very much to the passionate advocates, scientists, environmental groups and experts who joined me to discuss Indiana’s air, water and soil quality today. It was a pleasure to welcome the Hoosier Environmental Council, The Conservation Law Center, Citizen Action Coalition, University Environmental Resilience Institute, and IU Professor and Scientist Marc Lame to the Statehouse to have this important discussion.

“As it stands, Indiana is ranked dead last in the nation when it comes to the natural environment. In every major health category, we are also poorly ranked, repeatedly landing in the bottom ten. The health of our environment and the health of our residents are irrevocably linked, and Hoosiers deserve to have that truth acknowledged and their health prioritized. Our natural resources impact our collective quality of life and survival. This state must do the right thing and implement policies that support the health of our citizens and state. That starts with legislators having meaningful conversations about the current status of our environment and what we must do to move us forward.

“While I’m disappointed that the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee has refused to heed my calls to hold an official committee meeting on our state’s air, water and soil quality, I will continue my work to ensure these important items are discussed in this Statehouse. These critical issues are too important to allow them to go unaddressed.

“Along with the passionate advocates who know our futures are tied to our environment, I will not stop fighting, organizing and pushing for action.”

The full public meeting can be viewed here.