The Vanderburgh County Commissioners will reconvene its emergency meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. in the Locust Meeting Rooms “BC†of the Old National Events Plaza at 715 Locust Street in Evansville, Indiana to receive information, deliberate, and act on emergency matters concerning public health.
  The meeting will be held in compliance with the guidelines of the CDC, ISDH, and Governor Holcomb’s Executive Orders regarding the COVID-19 emergency declaration:
No members must be physically present for a public meeting for the duration of the COVID-19 emergencyÂ
Governing bodies may hold a public meeting by videoconference or by telephone conference if: (1) a quorum of members participate; and (2) any meeting is made available to members of the public and mediaÂ
Attendance will be limited to the first ten (10) persons, including participants, with a preference given to members of the media.
All persons desiring to attend will be subject to health screening for symptoms of COVID-19
Attorney General Curtis Hill sent a letter this week to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other top federal officials supporting the administration’s current ban on federal funding for fetal tissue research. The letter is co-signed by the attorneys general of 18 other states.
“Fetal tissue research has serious ethical and moral ramifications,†Attorney General Hill said. “Fetal tissue is unquestionably human tissue. The foundation of ethical research on human subjects is respect for self-determination — even among those, such as fetuses, incapable of self-determination.â€
Last month, a California-led coalition of 15 other attorneys general called upon President Trump to end the ban in order to facilitate studies they claimed could lead to new methods of fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The California letter declares, ‘The present moment is not a time for politics.’ But exploiting a national emergency to forward their own political goals is exactly what California and its allied states seek to do,†Attorney General Hill said. “President Trump’s ban on federally funded fetal tissue research rejects California’s assessment that the felt needs of the moment justify crossing moral boundaries. Such principles are most critical in moments such as this, where the temptation to use others for our own ends is strongest.â€
The U.S. Supreme Court has previously affirmed Indiana’s contention that states have a legitimate interest in enforcing the respectful handling of fetal remains (Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky).
Advocates for fresh fetal tissue research say it could produce medical breakthroughs in such areas as developing vaccines, but Attorney General Hill noted that such claims are mostly unsupported by scientific evidence.
“We urge the Trump administration to stand by its priority of promoting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death even in this global health crisis,†Attorney General Hill said. “In order to make advances in the ethical treatment of human remains, this nation must reject the false notion that scientists cannot achieve the laudable goal of creating vaccines and treatment for COVID-19 without using unethical means.â€
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued interim guidance to the Agency’s regional offices to ensure that decisions about new or ongoing cleanup activities at sites across the country are made with the health and safety of communities, state and tribal partners, EPA staff, and contractors as the priority.
The interim guidance focuses on decision making at emergency response and longer term cleanups sites where EPA is the lead agency or has direct oversight of, or responsibility for, the cleanup work. This includes, but is not limited to, Superfund cleanups, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective actions, Toxic Substance and Control Act PCB cleanups, Oil Pollution Act spill responses, and Underground Storage Tank Program actions. In addition, EPA is sharing this guidance with states to take into consideration as they encounter similar issues at state-lead RCRA cleanup sites.
“EPA remains committed to protecting human health and the environment as we continue to adjust to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic,†said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This guidance will allow us to keep workers and the residents in these communities safe while also being able to respond to any emergency that may present an imminent danger to the public health or welfare.â€
EPA will, as appropriate, update this guidance as the current situation with COVID-19 evolves.
Guidance for EPA Regional Offices on Field Work Decisions at Cleanup Sites
To address the current challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation, EPA is making decisions about continuing, reducing, or pausing on-site activities on a case-by-case basis consistent with the following priorities:
Protecting the health and safety of the public, as well as maintaining the health and safety of EPA staff and cleanup partners, is the Agency’s highest priority. Integral to the protection of health and safety is the close coordination with federal, state, tribal, or local health authorities.
Maintaining EPA’s ability to prevent and respond to environmental emergencies, is also a critical priority for the Agency.
This same approach will apply to EPA’s decision making related to requests from outside parties engaged in cleanup and response sites (e.g., states, tribes, local governments, other federal agencies, other parties, property owners, etc.) for extensions or delays in performance. These decisions will be made in accordance with any existing agreements or enforcement instruments.
The interim guidance issued today also includes directions to the Agency’s regional offices on the following:
Considering site-specific factors when deciding on whether response actions will continue or be reduced, paused or resumed: Consideration of these factors will help the Agency make nationally consistent decisions when addressing similar factual situations at sites. For example, regional management will consider whether failure to continue response actions would likely pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health or the environment, and whether it is practical to continue such actions.
Applying Applicable Enforcement Instruments: Decisions to extend obligations or pause work obligations will be made in accordance with applicable enforcement instruments. These enforcement instruments may contain provisions allowing for adjustments to schedules to be made at the discretion of EPA’s project manager, and/or force majeure provisions, generally including directions to responsible parties on providing the requisite notice and other information to EPA related to a requested extension.
Conducting Non-Field Site Work: Because much of the work to advance cleanup of sites is performed away from sites, to the extent possible, this work will continue. This includes important work that can be conducted virtually such as investigation reports (including pre-NPL work), modeling, negotiations between the parties, decision documents, cleanup documentation, workplans, progress reports, and maintaining compliance with obligations such as financial assurance.
Planning for Next Steps After Pausing Site Work:Â If a decision is made to temporarily reduce or suspend field work, Regions will continue to monitor site conditions and plan the logistics for resuming field work as soon as possible when appropriate.
In addition, it is recommended that Superfund site teams cancel or postpone in-person public meeting events, door-to-door visits, and other site-related face to face interactions to be consistent with current COVID-19 guidance from the CDC and other federal, state, tribal and local officials. We fully encourage EPA staff to keep in contact with affected communities using virtual and other communication tools such as on-line meetings, webinars, conference calls, and call-in numbers, as well as fact sheets, postcards, phone, and social media.
Additional Information
As of the beginning of April, EPA has reduced or paused on-site construction work at approximately 34 EPA or PRP-lead Superfund National Priority List sites, or 12% of all EPA sites with ongoing remedial actions, due to the evolving situation with COVID-19. Regions have decided and may continue to decide to reduce or suspend response actions at particular sites for the following or similar situations:
State, tribal, or local health officials have requested particular site operations or types of operations that would pertain to particular sites be suspended.
Site workers have tested positive for or exhibited symptoms of COVID-19.
Sites where there may be close interaction with high risk groups or those under quarantine, such as work inside homes.
Sites where contractor field personnel are not able to work due to state, tribal, or local travel restrictions or medical quarantine.
EVANSVILLE WATER AND SEWER UTILITYÂ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Water and Sewer Utility Board of Directors for the City of Evansville, Indiana, will meet on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Locust Meeting Rooms “BC†of the Old National Events Plaza (“ONEPâ€) at 715 Locust Street in Evansville, Indiana.
The public is welcome to attend, but, pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-18 of April 6, 2020, the Statement and General Guidance of the Public Access Counselor Regarding the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Event, and CDC and ISDH requirements: Attendance will be limited to ten (10) persons (including Board members and staff) with first preference given to the media. In accordance with the PAC guidelines, the following accommodations will be made:
A portion of those individuals present must include representatives from the media or the
Access into ONEP will be limited to the Locust 2 Door
No admittance will be allowed until five (5) minutes before the start of the
Admittance into ONEP will be limited to ten (10) persons
Other reasonable restriction on social distancing and movement may be made at the discretion of the President
Any person attempting to enter may be subject to denial if displaying symptoms of COVID-19
The meeting will be streamed live on the Old National Events Plaza Facebook page
Notices and agendas for public meetings may be posted solely by electronic means during the duration of the Governor’s Emergency Declaration.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued interim guidance to the Agency’s regional offices to ensure that decisions about new or ongoing cleanup activities at sites across the country are made with the health and safety of communities, state and tribal partners, EPA staff, and contractors as the priority. Here’s what stakeholders and public officials are saying:
Association of State and Territorial Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO): “ASTSWMO’s membership supports EPA working closely with their State and Territorial partners to ensure human health and the environment are protected during this current situation. That is best done jointly, working together to determine the best course of action under this guidance for decision-making at all cleanup sites potentially affected by the current COVID-19 precautionsâ€
Bobby Janecka, Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: “I am pleased by EPA’s commitment to continue vital cleanup work at Superfund sites while supporting appropriate social distancing measures. Communities across our state will be grateful to see EPA thoughtfully continuing needed remediation work at sites such as the Donna Reservoir and Canal Federal Superfund site in South Texas.â€
Jim Macy, Director, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy: “We appreciate and support our federal partners in their efforts to implement cleanup activity guidance during this difficult time. The guidance allows us to remain committed to our mission to protect and improve human health, the environment, and energy resources while supporting the State of Nebraska in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.â€
Scott Thompson, Executive Director, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality: “This guidance reflects what is already occurring within programs. Each remediation site that EPA and states deal with presents unique challenges, and many routinely require site-specific determinations. The current COVID-19 event poses additional challenges, and most if not all states have prioritized critical actions over less critical ones in all programs at this point. Clearly EPA and state agencies will do whatever it takes during this time to respond to natural disasters or emergencies involving remediation sites while trying to maintain social distancing.â€
Austin Caperton, Cabinet Secretary, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection: “West Virginia had already taken steps to protect our citizens and is well positioned to accommodate EPA’s guidance during this crisis. The past few weeks have proven our ability to continue moving all DEP processes forward to protect the environment and our people.â€
Gerry Geist, Executive Director, Association of Towns of the State of New York: “Town officials care about protecting the environment and public health while ensuring the personal health and safety of individuals working to clean up contaminated property. The EPA interim guidance issued today will help EPA Region 2 evaluate whether to begin, continue or secure and suspend site remediation work on environmental cleanup projects while protecting the personal health of workers and the community health of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.â€
Jeff Grove, Mayor of LaSalle, Illinois: “I wanted to take the opportunity to appreciate the partnership we, at the City of La Salle, have with the EPA. From day one, there has been open and transparent communication among the EPA, city leadership and our La Salle residents. We understand and support the decision to postpone design sampling in the residential areas of the site indefinitely, as we all work to follow safety guidelines and ‘shelter in place’ mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our La Salle residents have been understanding and flexible with other adjustments we have had to make for City services. The bottom line is that we are all confident that the work the EPA has started will eventually continue when life returns to a sense of normalcy. We all appreciate that!â€
Brian Sorochty, Mayor of Village of Holley, New York: “While this project is extremely important to the Village of Holley residents, we understand and support the EPA’s decision to place this project temporarily on hold. In light of the nationwide situation with the COVID-19 virus, the health and welfare of the EPA/USACOE personnel, contractors, and our residents must be the top priority. We look forward to this work commencing as soon as possible, based on recommendations from the state and local health officials and the CDC.â€
Libby Szabo, Jefferson County Commissioner, Colorado: “It is always a good idea to pause and take a look at what we are doing and how we are doing it, especially in this time of uncertainty. I applaud the EPA for recognizing this and what they are doing to keep our communities safe and strong.â€
Karen Sullivan, Butte-Silver Bow Health Officer, Montana: “Recognition by the EPA of the severity of the COVID-19 crisis and its potential impact on EPA staff, the stakeholders at our various Superfund sites in Butte-Silver Bow, and members of our community is greatly appreciated by me. Our collective health and safety is paramount, and EPA’s contribution to helping us manage this event in Butte-Silver Bow is welcomed.â€
Robert D. Moore, Director, Portsmouth Economic Development: “Continuing work at the Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund Site is vital to the Portsmouth small business community for a number of reasons and we are grateful for the EPA’s continued support of the remediation efforts. It is important to maintain standards on the site throughout these unprecedented times, and the ongoing daily operations allow for workers throughout our economy to stay active and engaged. The project site is also a key location for redevelopment which will become even more necessary as we look into the recovery period.â€
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 508 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 7,928 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.　
A total of 343 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.　
To date, 42,489 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 39,215 on Saturday.　
Marion County had the most new cases, at 154. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Allen (11), Elkhart (14), Hamilton (33), Hendricks (14), Johnson (29), Lake (69), Madison (20), Newton (17) and Porter (11). The Lake County totals include results from East Chicago and Gary, which have their own health departments.　
The complete list of counties with cases is included in the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at www.coronavirus.in.gov. Cases are listed by county of residence. Private lab reporting may be delayed and will be reflected in the map and count when results are received at ISDH. Beginning Monday, April 13, the dashboard will be updated at noon each day.　
INDIANAPOLIS—One in five people who have died from the novel coronavirus in Indiana were African Americans, who represent less than 10% of the state’s population, new data from the Indiana State Department of Health show.
Dr. Kristina Box, ISDH Commissioner, unveiled the new data Friday at Gov. Eric Holcomb’s daily virtual press briefing.
“I expected the number of African American deaths to be a higher percentage than the number of African Americans represented in our state population overall,†Box said. “And that’s because that’s what every other state is seeing, and that’s because they have higher incidents like I mentioned of co-morbidities that are more likely to contribute to death from COVID-19 like heart disease and diabetes.â€
Dr. Woody Myers, the former state health commissioner and Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement that this data shouldn’t have taken this long to be released.
“The state has lagged behind many others in the release of this valuable data. It simply should not have taken this long to inform the public and medical community about who is most at risk for coronavirus. Hoosiers need to know this information as a matter of safety,†he said.
He said while we now know some of the initial figures, there is still more data that needs to be shown.
“The reality is that minority and low-income communities will likely bear the brunt of this disease, both in terms of health and economics. The question we ought to be asking now is: ‘What will state leaders do about it?’,†he said.
Friday, Indiana saw 55 new deaths related to COVID-19, raising the state’s total to 300. There were also 556 new cases reported, with a total of 6,907 cases in Indiana.
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Box said tracking the data in real-time is difficult. She said with normal illnesses, like the flu, the numbers would be released on a weekly basis to keep them as accurate as possible. With this virus, she said, there is a need for numbers to be updated daily, but they might not be completely accurate.
She said the data is re-examined to ensure cases are not counted for twice, and double-checked accuracy. But, this normally takes longer than the 24-hour period between when new numbers are reported and might cause a slight change is the number of cases reported in the state.
Friday was a day when state officials delivered a lot of bad news, with data showing the pandemic has yet to reach its peak either in the number of cases or in the damage to the economy.
The state’s monthly revenue report showed March revenues were $70 million lower than projected.  And, these numbers don’t take into account the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus shutting down most commerce for the month
Cris Johnston, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the state’s casinos were closed for only a week of the reporting period. The report shows that wagering revenues were down $4 million or 33% from the estimated revenue.
Johnston said the state is working to bring economic relief to not only the state as a whole but local governments and Hoosiers. He said there have been three packages approved by the federal government aimed to economically help states
One was directed for public health and buying personal protective equipment for medical workers and a second was directed to providing assistance to individuals on food, women and children programs, and services. The final, he said, is expected to bring more than $3 billion to the state to help fund existing grant programs.
“While it is a sizeable amount of money, we also cannot build expectations beyond this funding, that we cannot fulfill,†he said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will begin distributing $668 million in relief funds to Indiana hospitals and medical providers from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
“Our health care systems and medical professionals are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic,†Sen. Todd Young said in a statement. “The funding being distributed today will help provide them with critical relief to treat Hoosier patients now and in the future.â€
The state will have a task force in place to plan, administer, and account for federal aid the state will receive through the CARES Act.
Indiana’s Economic Relief and Recovery Team will be chaired by Johnston and Commerce Secretary Jim Schellinger. It will also consist of former state Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, Ryan Kitchell, the former Office of Management and Budget director, and Becky Skillman, former lieutenant governor, among others.
The month of April, Johnston said, is typically one of the highest-grossing months of the year, although this year it doesn’t look like it will be. That is when the budget is expected to show the biggest impact of the pandemic.
Box said although it seems there is more and more bad news every day, there are also positive things happening. She said chalk drawings on her driveway and notes of encouragement have uplifted her during this time.
“It’s hard when we have this many people dying to be real positive,†Box said as she choked back tears. “But I know that we are going to do everything, and we are doing everything that we can to dampen the number of lives that we lose in the state of Indiana.  And I know we have a great Hoosier population that is doing a lot to take care of each other.â€
FOOTNOTES: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
