Banner Graphic, Volume 17, Number 179, Greencastle, Putnam County, 1 April 1987 — Page 3

House committee gives 0Kt065-mph limit

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - ndiana motorists could legally drive 65 mph on more than 75 percent of the state’s interstate highway system if a bill pending in the state House of Representatives is approved. The House Roads and Transportation Committee voted 8-1 Tuesday to increase the speed limit on rural interstates from 55 mph to 65. The proposal was inserted in Senate Bill 180, which now goes to the full House. The original portion of the measure dealing with special license plates was dropped from S.B. 180 and added to another bill. Committee Chairman Thomas D. Coleman, R-New Castle, offered the amendment to raise the speed limit. The speed limit would remain 55, or lower where posted, on interstates in heavily populated areas. By federal definitions, 852 miles of Indiana’s interstates are considered to be in rural areas while 267 miles are in cities.

state

Hazardous waste cleanup measure is approved in House

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - State officials would have new powers to deal with about 800 hazardous waste sites under a bill approved by the Indiana House. The House voted 97-2 Tuesday for Senate Bill 459, which would give state officials authority to order cleanups at hazardous waste sites and then recover cleanup costs and damages from the sites’ private owners. The bill now goes back to the Senate for concurrence with House changes. S.B. 459 would allow the state Department of Environmental Management to seek a court order to initiate a state cleanup of a site whose owners were unwilling or unable to act. The DEM could then sue the responsible parties for the state’s cost in the cleanup and for triple damages. DEM officials have told the Legislature that the triple damages threat should give the department more leverage in trying to get private businesses to act to clean up hazardous waste sites. Money from damage settlements would be put in the existing Hazardous Substances Trust Fund to pay for future cleanups. DEM officials testified at previous legislative hearings that the measure would allow the state to address hazardous waste problems that are not sufficiently severe to qualify for cleanup under the federal Superfund program. DEM Commissioner Nancy A. Maloley said her department has identified 800 hazardous waste sites that could qualify for cleanup under the state program. In other action Tuesday, the 49th working day of the 1987 legislative session, the House approved bills

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“I drive back and forth from New Castle to Indianapolis almost every day and 65 seems to be the real speed limit. That’s about what everybody drives,” said Coleman. ‘‘lf we increase to 65, we’re not going to see excessive speed any more than we do now,” he said. ‘‘We can try 65 and see if t works. If it doesn’t, we can come back and change it.” Rep. Edward E. Goble, DBatesville, also spoke in favor of the proposal, saying he had objected to the lower speed limit ‘‘being shoved down our throats” by federal officials during the energy crisis of 1975. States were threatened with the loss of some federal highway funding if they did not comply with the 55 mph speed limit. Goble said that improvements in tires and roads in the last 12 years would allow the speed limit to go up without leading to more accidents.

that would raise fees for most fish and wildlife licenses and allow landowners to kill coyotes. S.B. 20, approved 62-37, provides for fishing and hunting license increases, which collectively will produce about $3 million more in new annual revenue for the Department of Natural Resources, said Rep. David A. Hoover, R-Ridgeville. The money is needed to help the DNR’s enforcement efforts, he said. Rep. David N. Jones, RIndianapolis, said fee increases are making hunting “one of the most expensive sports, except for golf.” “It brings in $3 million in new money, but hunters won’t see any benefit from it,” said Jones. The measure now goes to the Senate for concurrrence with House changes. By a 79-20 vote, lawmakers approved S.B. 100, which would allow a landowner or a person designated by a landowner to continue to kill coyotes on that land at any time of year. A law permitting taking of coyotes was passed two years ago, but is due to expire this year. Rep. Dennis Heeke, D-Dubois, said the bill will help farmers protect their sheep, pigs and turkeys from coyotes who feed on the farm animals. The Senate approved House bills that would: —Make it a Class A felony, punishable by up to 50 years in prison and a SIO,OOO fine, to commit voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon. —Create the Indiana Seed Capital Revolving Loan Fund to provide loans of up to $250,000 to local seed capital organizations to establish new businesses and to encourage the growth of existing businesses.

Local measured service plan earns Senate committee nod

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Senate Commerce Committee, following the lead of the Public Service Commission, has endorsed a measured telephone service plan that would require companies to conduct a one-year trial run before their proposals could be eligible for final PSC action. The committee stripped H.B. 1885 of its original language Tuesday, then sent the amended version to the full Senate on a 7-2 vote. As it left committee, H.B. 1885 would allow a telephone company to conduct the 12-month test of measured service in any of its exchanges. The company would be required to provide customers with bills for both the measured service and current flat rate systems during the trial period so that customers could compare costs. Customers would pay the flat rate during the first six months of the trial, the measured service rate for the second six months, then revert to the flat rate when the test was completed. The company then would present its test data to the PSC, and the commission would conduct hearings to

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determine if measured service should be implemented. However, the commission would be barred from imposing measured service charges until at least March 1,1989. The bill also specifies a company could not implement measured service in any particular exchange until it went through the one-year trial run in that exchannge. The PSC order issued last week for Indiana Bell’s measured service plan calls for a test run in five communities only. It also would require Bell to issue duplicate bills for six months while charging flat rates, then convert the test cities to measured service during the next six months. The order would have Bell continuing measured service during the post-test hearings. Telephone customers now receive one flat-rate bill that covers both access to telephone service and unlimited local calling. Measured service customers are charged separately for access and for usage, which is be based on the number, duration, destination and time of day of local calls. During the Commerce Committee

hearing Tuesday, the amended version of H.B. 1885 received support from Indiana Bell and the Indiana Telephone Association. “In view of the opposition and concern, we would endorse, generally, the thrust of this amendment,” said Indiana Bell Vice President Thomas Boyle, who contended a one-year test run would prove that customers benefit from measured service. Several groups, including Citizens Action Coalition, said they prefer an outright ban on measured service but considered the House version of H.B. 1885 a workable compromise. They were less than enthusiastic about the amended bill. “Local measured service will cause great anxiety over using the phone for many of us, and it will hurt the most vulnerable of us the worst the shut-ins who depend on the telephone for most of their communication,” added James Dezarn, president of United Senior Action of Indiana. Indiana University pollster Brian S. Vargus testified Tuesday he conducted a survey of more than 400 registered voters and found that about 70 percent opposed it.

Wednesday, April 1,1987 THE BANNER GRAPHIC,

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Here is the status of bills acted on by the 105th Indiana General Assembly Tuesday: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT H.B. 1626 Would create the Indiana Seed Capital Revolving Loan Fund to provide loans of up to $250,000 to local seed capital organizations to establish new businesses and to encourage the growth of existing businesses. Sen. Joseph C. Zakas, RGranger. (Approved 37-12 by Senate, goes to governor.) MANSLAUGHTER PENALTY H.B. 1039 Would make it a Class A felony, punishable by up to 50 years in prison and a SIO,OOO fine, to commit voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon. Sen. Edward A. Pease, R-Brazil. (Approved 36-13 by Senate, goes to governor.) FISHING, HUNTING S.B. 20 Would increase most fees for hunting and fishing licenses. Rep. David Hoosier, RRidgeville. (Approved 62-37 by House, goes to Senate for concurrence with House changes.)

Status of state bills

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