Indiana

An obstacle course–and not the fun kind. Activity search function limits downloads to 2000 entries. A search for compensated lobbyists produces a spreadsheet noting hundreds of lobbyists who are “Compensated” but doesn’t actually list their clients. Expenditures aren’t searchable by client, so finding these depends on first having a list showing all lobbyists employed by a particular client, and such lists are updated infrequently and aren’t downloadable in spreadsheet form. Compensation reports are only viewable one at a time and aren’t downloadable.

Evansville, Indiana sits within 30 miles of several coal-fired power plants, including four so-called super polluters that release especially higher amounts of PM2.5 pollution, including CenterPoint’s Warrick plant. In 2014, the people of Evansville experienced more pollution from coal plants than any other mid-size or large American city.

In 2024, CenterPoint retained the lobbying firm of Barnes & Thornburg, whose other clients included the City of Evansville. This means that people living with some of the worst air pollution from coal in America were seeing their own tax dollars go into the pockets of coal lobbyists.

Barnes & Thornburg also represents hospitals, the Indiana EMS Association, and the American Heart Association. Fine particle pollution and Indiana’s rising temperatures–caused by the climate crisis–have both been associated with a rise in heart attacks and other cardiac events.

To what extent was this lobbying firm promoting coal while securing funding and other support for clients whose mission includes helping the victims of air pollution? Indiana makes it hard to know. Lobbyists are asked to disclose the numbers of the bills on which they are lobbying but hardly any of them do. Compensation is disclosed. The most recent six-month activity disclosure shows $9,949 earned from the American Heart Association, $6,641 from the City of Evansville, and $60,761 from CenterPoint.

Best feature: the capacity to have lobbyists report bill numbers already exists on the Indiana Lobbyist Registration Commission’s website, as lobbyists are asked to give numbers for bills that don’t fit into a list of common subjects areas.

Worst feature: expenditure reports can only be viewed one at a time and aren’t downloadable.

Additional Findings