Indianapolis – Eric Holcomb was sworn in today as the 51^st Lieutenant Governor of Indiana in a ceremony in the south atrium of the Indiana Statehouse. Holcomb was sworn in by Indiana Supreme Court Justice Mark Massa, and both Holcomb and Governor Pence offered remarks. Lieutenant Governor Holcomb took his oath on President Benjamin Harrison’s personal bible that he used to be sworn in as president.

“Eric Holcomb is a Hoosier through and through, and I’m proud that he has officially taken his oath to join the administration as Lieutenant Governor,” said Governor Pence. “Eric has a heart for public service and a love for Indiana like few people I’ve ever met, and I’m grateful for Eric and his wife Janet’s willingness to serve this state. I know that Eric’s enthusiasm, integrity, and extensive experience at both the state and federal level will serve him well as he assumes the duties of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. I’m looking forward to working with Eric in the coming months, and I know that he’s ready to get to work for the people of Indiana.”

On February 9, Governor Pence announced his intention to nominate Holcomb as Lieutenant Governor. He formally nominated Holcomb on March 2, and on March 3, Holcomb was confirmed by majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“I could not be more excited or more proud to serve as Lieutenant Governor of the state of Indiana,” said Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Governor Pence to build on Indiana’s strong foundation and make tomorrow stronger. I’m eager to get started, and I look forward to hitting the ground running to serve the Hoosiers of this great state.”

Eric Holcomb has spent his career in public service.  Most recently, he has served as State Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Dan Coats. Prior to that role from 2003 to 2011, Holcomb served as Governor Mitch Daniels’ deputy chief of staff and managed the Governor’s 2008 re-election campaign. Holcomb has also served as chairman of the Indiana Republican Party and as a member of the Republican National Committee. Holcomb got his start in politics managing successful races for U.S. Congressman John Hostettler and a mayoral race in Vincennes, where he lived at the time. Holcomb earned his undergraduate degree from Hanover College and is a veteran of the United States Navy. Eric and his wife, Janet, live in Traders Point, Indiana.

Under Indiana law, the lieutenant governor serves as President of the Indiana Senate and Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. The lieutenant governor also manages six state agencies including the State Department of Agriculture, Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Office of Tourism Development, Office of Defense Development, Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Additionally, the lieutenant governor chairs the Indiana Counter Terrorism and Security Council.

Photos from today’s swearing-in ceremony, as well as Lieutenant Governor Holcomb’s official headshot, can be found attached.

Stricter clean air regulations were put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The moves were done without the consent of Congress and it led to a fight that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Eighth District Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon was among 200 members of Congress who filed a brief with the Court claiming EPA overstepped its legal authority and defied the will of Congress by regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

“Congress has repeatedly tried to overturn these regulations through legislation; however, the President and his allies continue blocking our legislative efforts in order to protect their ideological climate change agenda,” said Bucshon, a Republican.

“Now we’re taking the fight to the courts, because we believe the way forward is through innovation and technology advancements, not unlawful federal regulations that cannot be met, damage the economy and cost jobs. I’m proud to help file this amicus brief, in support of states like Indiana, requesting the D.C. Circuit Court vacate these regulations that have been temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court.”

 

King Coal losing crown
Coal industry in Daviess County dwindling

Mar 2, 2016

For a long time in most of southwestern Indiana coal was the king of the economy. Companies pulled the coal out of the ground providing landowners with additional income, trucks rumbled all over the county roads hauling their loads to power plants in Petersburg, Edwardsport and Princeton. Business sprang up to provide services to the mines, the trucking companies and even the power plants.

During the hey-day of coal Daviess County was a busy place.

“Coal was important to us and everyone else,” said former executive director for the Daviess County Chamber of Commerce Dave Cox. “There were times when we had 10 to 12 coal mines operating at once. There were the mines, the miners, the trucking, the service people. One thing led to another and then another.”

Those days led the county commissioners to hold a meeting once a year with the coal companies. During those meetings, roads were closed and opened. Specific routes were set out to haul coal. The meetings could last for days.

This year’s coal meeting lasted only a few minutes. Daviess County has one active mine, Solar Sources Antioch Mine. Peabody is in the process of closing its Viking mine. Only a handful of people showed up to raise a few questions. Simply, King Coal has lost its crown.

“It just shows from our coal meeting there is not a lot going on,” said President of the Daviess County Commissioners Michael Taylor. “We’ve got some old road issues we’re working on. Everything is slowing down.”

Two big factors have played into the demise of coal. One is the energy markets. Domestic discoveries of natural gas and oil have driven down, not just the price for those commodities, but also the price of coal. In addition, clean air regulations have been especially hard on the coal industry and Midwestern power generating companies that used to rely exclusively on coal.

“With all of the new EPA regulations, it is slowing them down and they’re not nearly as profitable as they once were,” said Taylor.

Stricter clean air regulations were put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The moves were done without the consent of Congress and it led to a fight that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Eighth District Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon was among 200 members of Congress who filed a brief with the Court claiming EPA overstepped its legal authority and defied the will of Congress by regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

“Congress has repeatedly tried to overturn these regulations through legislation; however, the President and his allies continue blocking our legislative efforts in order to protect their ideological climate change agenda,” said Bucshon, a Republican.

“Now we’re taking the fight to the courts, because we believe the way forward is through innovation and technology advancements, not unlawful federal regulations that cannot be met, damage the economy and cost jobs. I’m proud to help file this amicus brief, in support of states like Indiana, requesting the D.C. Circuit Court vacate these regulations that have been temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court.”

About two dozen states including Indiana have sued to stop the Clean Power Plan, which aims to slow climate change by cutting power-plant emissions by one third by 2030. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Plan cannot be enacted until the legal cases are resolved and that is not expected until 2017.

While the fight goes on in D.C. in court, in Daviess County the impacts of coal are slipping further and further from the days when mines operated all the way from Epsom to Alfordsville.

“It’s really concerning,” said Daviess County Highway Supervisor Phil Cornelius. “Consider the amount of taxes the coal mines brought into the county. Over the next few years, the rest of the property tax owners will be picking up the additional cost from the loss of mine revenues.”

But the impact will be much deeper than property taxes. It has hit wages, and businesses in southern Indiana.

“There is the loss of income for the people who used to work there and for the companies that supplied the mines,” added Cornelius. “It’s just a bad deal. I know they have some detrimental effects on the roads and tracking dirt. The pluses, though, far outweighed the minuses, and we are going to miss them.”