People go to college to increase their earning potential, gain valuable skills and become informed citizens. You can develop these traits inside the classroom, but after you graduate, people will want to know what you can do outside the classroom.

One of the best ways to use your skills is through advocacy. For instance, students who care about the environment have plenty to be involved locally. In Indiana, several bills are being considered:

HB1414, being rushed through the Indiana House right now, makes it harder for electric utility companies to retire aging and increasingly expensive coal plants.

HB1285 weakens the Office of Utility Consumer Counsel, an essential state agency that protects Hoosiers from unnecessary utility costs.

HB1327 adds fees for Hoosiers wanting to self-generate energy.

HB1228 and HB1328 eliminate harmful deadlines on net metering tariffs and phaseouts.

SB104 protects our forests by prohibiting certain actions within designated wild areas in state forests.

SB229 hurts our wetlands by allowing the construction of regulated drains through state-regulated wetlands without a permit.

I urge our USI community members who care about the environment to do their own research and urge their legislators to vote in accordance with their values. You can look up bills at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills and learn who your legislators are at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/.

Our representatives were elected to represent our best interests. It’s time to show them we’re paying attention.