“I’m a conservative, an entrepreneurial one that’s proud to be a conservationist, and that goes very deep in my love of land and nature in general,” Braun said the morning of Wednesday, March 12. “(I) also want to make sure that my administration’s environment environmental policy is straightforward, easy to understand, things important for conservatives to be responsible stewards of our environment.”

Braun said the orders would provide businesses and communities “regulatory certainty” when it comes to projects for businesses and farmers. 

Here’s what the orders do: 

The first order Braun signed prohibits the use of “environmental justice” in permitting, enforcement or grant decisions. 

Environmental justice is a movement centered on the idea that poor and marginalized communities should not have more pollution than wealthy communities. 

Environmental justice advocates want regulators to listen to poorer communities on their preferences and work to make sure polluting industry isn’t concentrated in those communities. 

Braun said the order would “make clear that Indiana will not use the concept of environmental justice in our permitting or enforcement decisions. 14 states have environmental justice offices, and the idea is to make environmental policy based on factors other than the environment. Indiana’s environmental policy will be based solely on sound science, not on a political agenda.”

Braun’s other executive order blocks state regulators from passing any new rules or environmental regulations. The order doesn’t repeal any existing Indiana laws, but blocks the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) from making any rules beyond the federal laws passed by Congress and generated by federal regulators. 

The order also says government agencies need to make sure any proposed or existing rule “does not impose unnecessary burdens on businesses, communities, agencies or industries operating in our State.” 

The order calls for a review of every Indiana environmental rule or regulation that “exceed an applicable federal requirement or limitation without explicit direction to do so by Indiana Code.” Agencies will then have to justify why those stricter rules are required. 

“Adhering to the national standards will give Hoosier businesses and communities regulatory certainty and encourage new businesses to invest and grow in Indiana,” Braun said. “Where they know the compliance framework already, not having to guess what it might be, we can be good stewards of our environment without stifling growth through excessive government mandates.”

Braun acknowledged the problem on Wednesday morning. 

“When it comes to water and air, I’m always going to be one that wants to make sure we improve from that,” Braun said. “That’s not a stat to be proud of that’s similar to having the highest health care costs in the country with some of the poorest outcomes. So this is meant to make sure that we stay on top of that, but even as we navigate through it, that we don’t do things that are over burdensome.”