Citizens Direct Emails to the Governor

Hundreds of citizens are pressing Governor Frank O’Bannon to follow a legislative panel’s recommendation to appoint a task force on light pollution.

In just the past ten days comments from over 100 Hoosiers have arrived at the Governor’s office, mostly by email, seeking action on the year-old recommendation aimed at reducing $100 million in energy waste lost annually to poor outdoor lighting practices.

The Environmental Quality Service Council made the recommendation in October 2001. The study committee set a Nov. 1, 2002 deadline for the task force to report on ways to improve efficiency in outdoor lighting used by state agencies. Gov. O’Bannon still has not indicated whether he intends to appoint the task force, leaving the EQSC in the dark.

The EQSC’s 2001 chairperson Senator Beverly Gard of Greenfield acknowledged, “light pollution is a more serious problem than I realized.” Expressing regret that the EQSC’s adjournment deadline prevented devoting additional time to the issue, she proposed the Governor-appointed Outdoor Lighting Task Force. As adopted in the EQSC’s 2001 report, the recommendation also calls for the task force to create a model local outdoor lighting ordinance for use by Indiana municipalities, and to report to the EQSC, Governor, and General Assembly before November 1, 2002. It does not refer to a “final” report.

Sen. Gard’s proposal drew support from EQSC member Rep. Jonathan Weinzapfel of Evansville, this year’s EQSC chairperson. Previously he was instrumental in ensuring that the Indiana Department of Transportation change plans for street lighting near the Goethe Link Observatory south of Mooresville. In a letter to INDOT that he provided to the Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education, ICOLE, he stated, “the amount of lighting would be excessive and contrasting to the area’s surroundings” and said the plans would add to growing urban sky glow.

After being assigned by the legislature’s Legislative Council to study excess outdoor lighting’s impacts, the EQSC heard an introduction to the issue by Kevin Fleming, ICOLE chairman. He told the EQSC, “in addition to costing us over $100 million dollars per year, evidence is growing that light pollution is harming the ecosystem and human health, as well as wasting energy, causing danger on our roads, infringing on privacy, and gradually stealing our heritage of a starry night sky.”

In her May 2002 letter to ICOLE chairman Fleming, governor’s aide Beth Compton referred to Indiana’s difficult fiscal situation, and said, “We hope to be in better position to begin working on implementing the EQSC’s recommendation.” It calls for appointees to be “stakeholders” outside state government with no mention of remuneration. This August ICOLE submitted 12 names for the governor’s consideration as appointees.

Uncertain if the governor will appoint the task force, the EQSC has not addressed light pollution this year. Ironically, at a conference co-sponsored by the Urban Wildlands Group and UCLA held at Los Angeles in February, several researchers presented studies indicating light pollution has significant adverse impacts on the environment.

Late last month ICOLE established a website by which night sky preservationists and others could submit comments for forwarding to the governor. Respondents unanimously supported appointment of the task force.

ICOLE released a report in early 2001, entitled “Outdoor Lighting Practices in the State of Indiana” which includes its $100 million cost estimate. That amount dwarfs the cost reduction advocates predict from the one-hour shift some counties would make six months of the year with a statewide switch to daylight saving time. ICOLE’s estimate is based upon the Tucson-based International Dark-sky Association’s U.S. annual cost estimate of $2 billion, and analysis by scientists of artificial light detected by satellites.

ICOLE is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the impacts of outdoor lighting designs and practices. It provides consultation and assistance to state and local officials about good lighting standards. In 2000 the town of Nashville was the first of several Indiana municipalities to adopt a comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance with the help of ICOLE. Monrovia, and Hendricks and Floyd Counties followed suit and the town of Avon is expected to soon adopt provisions similar to those adopted by Hendricks County.

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References:

ICOLE

http://icole.home.att.net

EQSC recommendation that the Governor appoint the task force

http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/2001/committees/reports/EQSC4B1.pdf

Kevin Fleming’s presentation to the EQSC – EQSC minutes for 9/28/01 page 5

http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/2001/committees/minutes/EQSC49S.pdf

ICOLE report “Outdoor Lighting Practices in the State of Indiana”

http://icole.home.att.net/olprpt.pdf

Urban Wildlands Group/UCLA Institute on the Environment conference

http://www.urbanwildlands.org/conference.html

International Dark-sky Association

http://www.darksky.org

The World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness

http://www.lightpollution.it/worldatlas/pages/fig1.htm