STATEHOUSE- Rep. Bill Davis (R-Portland) co-authored House Bill (HB) 1232 to remove the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from the permit process for log jam removals. HB 1232 passed by a vote of 93-1. Currently, in order to remove a log jam from a resident's property, the resident must receive a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), DNR and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The permit process is lengthy and by removing DNR from the equation, local government should be able to assist residents faster. "In the past couple of years, several areas of our state experienced flooding, which caused Hoosiers to suffer significant property damages from log jams," Rep. Davis said. "The removal of the DNR from this process should allow property owners to remove their log jams quicker thus avoiding additional flooding problems and other damages." |
