‘Major Moves’

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced two initiatives this past week that may greatly change the landscape of the state by increasing both highway construction and logging in state forests.

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D), Bloomington: "I find it ironic that the governor says he must cut down trees in order to save them."

“Major Moves: Creating a Top-Tier Economy Through Top-Tier Transportation” is the administration’s $10.6 billion transportation plan that will double new construction spending on highway projects and pay for many of those projects by raising and imposing tolls.

“A state that aspires to greatness has to think big and act boldly. That’s the kind of state we want Indiana to be,” Daniels said.

Under the “Major Moves” campaign, the Indiana Department of Transportation plans to construct the “Fort to Port Link” connecting Fort Wayne more directly to the eastern part of the state; upgrade U.S. 31 in South Bend, Kokomo and Hamilton County; build two Ohio River bridges; and build I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville.

Much of the new campaign focuses on the I-69 project, and Daniels believes the best ways to speed up construction are to privatize at least part of the project and make the completed highway a toll road.

“Tolling, and possibly a private partner, is the only way to build this essential piece of Indiana’s future in our generation,” according to the governor.

Daniels also outlined a plan to increase costs to drivers on the Indiana Toll Road for the first time since 1985. Proceeds would be used for state highway and road projects in the toll road corridor as well as for maintenance and upgrades to the toll road itself.

“Very little of this will happen on a business as usual basis. Without new approaches that stretch dollars and access new funding sources, only a fraction of these projects will happen within the next decade. Some will never happen,” Daniels said.

INDOT has been under the financial microscope since the new administration took over in January and found INDOT did not have enough money to build all of the new construction projects promised during previous administrations.
Daniels’ office maintains that without the increased or new tolls, as well as other measures, “most new construction projects are at risk of not being built.”

But toll roads aren’t the only new funding source the state is procuring. According to an Indiana State Government Performance Report released late last month, INDOT has “identified more than 600 parcels it owns on 800 acres across the state that are not needed.”

Actions within the administration have already been undertaken “to streamline the process for selling excess property. New processes are now in place and the first four parcels have been sold, redirecting almost $70,000 to highway construction.”

New approaches that stretch dollars and access new funding sources are also at the heart of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plan to triple the income generated from state forest timber sales.

In a direct contradiction to his statement earlier this year that a rumor about an increase in state logging was “a lie,” DNR Director Kyle Hupfer announced that cutting down three to five times the current number of Indiana timber is a business and environmental decision.

“This plan is based on sound science,” said Hupfer when he and Daniels made their announcement at Morgan-Monroe State Forest last week. “It ensures a variety in the age structure of the state forests, including early-succession growth required for wildlife diversity.”

Currently, the DNR harvests approximately 3.4 million board feet of wood each year from the state’s 150,000 acres of forest. Under the new plan, that figure would increase to 10 to 17 million board feet. The increased timber production would increase revenue from timber sales from $1 million a year to an estimated $3 million to $5 million.

The announcement of increased timber sales came as part of the DNR’s plan to improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase program income and have a “positive impact on state economy.”

In addition to more cut timber sales, the plan also calls for a reduction and eventual elimination of the partnership between “small landowners.” Currently, more than 75,000 Hoosiers own 10 acres or less of forest. “While these forests play an important role in the economic and environmental well-being of the state,” the DNR report explains, “they take a disproportional amount of time to service.”

While the economic impact of ceasing the partnerships with small landowners will be a positive one for the state, the environmental impact may not be. According to the DNR, “Elimination of services will reduce the management undertaken on small tracts and place these tracts at increased risk. This would be offset by acceleration of management on the larger, more productive forests of Indiana.”

The plan also calls for 100 percent of the increased revenue to be used for forest management projects including trail maintenance, tree planting, land acquisition and establishing two research forests. The revenue would also continue to fund Volunteer Fire Department grants through the DNR.

Despite the support of the Nature Conservancy and Indiana Wildlife Federation, not everyone is comfortable with the changes. State Rep. Matt Pierce of Bloomington released a statement last week that might provide a glimpse into the upcoming legislative session’s approval of the plan.

“Somehow forests in Indiana survived before there were people around trying to manage them,” he said. “I find it ironic that the governor says he must cut down trees in order to save them.”

Indiana law might also get in the way of the DNR plan under the Indiana Environmental Protection Act which requires consultation with every affected state and federal agency, plus the public, before any state official issues any “detailed statement” bearing environmental impact.

The Indiana Forest Alliance already has a pending lawsuit against the state for violation of the Environmental Protection Act due to excessive logging. It is not yet clear how the announcement that the state’s will impact that lawsuit.