Two more members of the Indiana Natural Resources Commission have stepped down, continuing a series of departures from the state panel responsible for advising on natural resources policy. Twenty-year commission member Phil French resigned in a letter to Governor Mike Braun, saying he no longer believed public input played the same role in the commission’s work.
Resignations Follow Earlier Departures
The latest resignations follow the departures of former NRC Chair Bryan Poynter and commission member Bart Herriman in June. Both criticized changes involving the Indiana Department of Natural Resources under Director Alan Morrison.
Herriman wrote in his resignation letter that the agency had shifted away from its previous approach of public engagement. “Since the appointment of Alan Morrison as director of DNR, it has become apparent that an agency that thrived on transparency and engaging the public to foster sound public policy has become a cabal in which citizen input has been stifled,” Herriman wrote.
Dispute Centers on Rulemaking Process
The concerns involve a change in how proposed rules move through the approval process. At the commission’s March meeting, members learned that DNR Director Alan Morrison had begun posting preliminary approvals for rules, a process allowed under state administrative code.
Historically, commission members would first review and preliminarily propose rules before voting on adoption. Under the new approach, commission members would vote on rules without previously reviewing them in that same stage of the process. Members seeking additional input would need to participate through public hearings.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said the resigning members’ concerns did not accurately reflect the relationship between the agency, the commission and the public. The department said Morrison’s approach speeds up the rulemaking process while still allowing commission members opportunities for review, input and final approval.
Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.
