Indiana’s Environmental Rules Board voted this week to advance two actions aimed at lifting costly fuel restrictions on Hoosiers and cutting administrative hurdles for fire departments across the state. In the first action, the board voted to permanently suspend low Reid vapor pressure (LRVP) fuel requirements for residents in Clark and Floyd counties, who had been subject to the more stringent gasoline standard for decades.
Separately, the board voted to amend Indiana’s open burning rule to exempt certain state fire agencies and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from seeking prior authorization from IDEM for training related burn exercises.
“From the start of my administration, we looked for ways to remove unnecessary government burdens on Hoosiers and places we can cut the red tape,” said Gov. Mike Braun. “These steps strike the right balance between ensuring meaningful environmental protection and improving government efficiency.”
Low Reid Vapor pressure requirements
Existing requirements for LRVP gasoline are only in effect for Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana during the summer ozone season, a 1995 measure originally adopted to meet Clean Air Act requirements for the Louisville Metropolitan Area. However, advances in vehicle technologies and changes in engine and fuel standards have made the emissions benefits from LRVP negligible, while continuing to pass the added cost of non-conventional fuel onto consumers.
LRVP gasoline typically increases prices by 10 to 20 cents per gallon. Eliminating this requirement could save Indiana residents between $2.5 and $5.1 million during a single summer fuel season, according to an evaluation by IDEM’s Office of Air Quality.
Earlier this year, the U.S. EPA lifted LRVP requirements in Kentucky, effectively eliminating the special fuel standard used in the Louisville area. Because LRVP was embedded in Indiana’s rules and State Implementation Plan, IDEM was required to complete a formal rulemaking to repeal the requirement.
Open Burning for Fire Training Purposes
IDEM initiated rulemaking to add an exemption to Indiana’s open burning rule (326 IAC 4-1-3) allowing certain fire agencies to conduct open burning for fire training without obtaining prior authorization from IDEM. This update aligns Indiana’s rules with statutory changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2025.
The exemption enables fire departments and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to carry out essential training burns without going through the one time approval process for each event or, in the case of DHS’ mobile burn demonstration unit, seeking multi-year authorizations.
By reducing paperwork and clearing administrative delays, the rule gives firefighters greater flexibility to conduct the hands on training they need to keep communities safe.
Other Agency Updates
IDEM senior leadership also provided updates on recent agency activities, including numerous recent comments and engagement on federal environmental comment periods on rulemakings.
This week, IDEM provided direct correspondence to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin concerning Indiana’s progress in improving water quality and the importance of ensuring federal oversight aligns with what’s working in Indiana. Since 2008, Indiana has overseen a 71% reduction in untreated sewage releases from combined sewage overflow (CSO) utilities. The success is directly attributable to the sustained commitment of Indiana’s CSO communities, which have implemented long‑term control plans and infrastructure upgrades that continue to protect Hoosier waterways.
Since 2025, IDEM has provided more than 30 comments on the federal docket pertaining to various environmental actions on matters ranging from:
- Definition of the “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act
- Public Participation Requirements in Air Permitting
- Compliance Deadline for Safe Drinking Water Act PFAS Levels
- Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Power Plants
- Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals from Electric Utilities
- Chemical Risk Evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act
“IDEM oversees nearly all federal environmental laws and programs in Indiana, and decisions made in Washington have an enormous impact on Hoosiers,” said IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods. “I am proud that IDEM has stepped up as a national leader, more actively influencing in federal environmental policy over the last 18 months than any other state agency.”
This increased engagement follows Senate Enrolled Act 277, passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, which modernized Indiana’s environmental statutes for the first time in decades. Indiana is also now the only state in the country with environmental law that enshrines “cooperative federalism” in statute.
The law directs IDEM to “actively engage with its federal counterparts through comments, petitions, letters, advisory committees, rule making activities, and other means, to ensure federal environmental laws and their implementation serve the state of Indiana.”