HB 1189 Summary

• Requires persons seeking to establish additional commercial ports on Lake Michigan or the Ohio River to submit a market study to the Indiana Ports Commission analyzing economic costs and benefits, including Great Lakes shipping trends and federal permitting analysis.

• Mandates that before a local port authority constructs or operates a port facility on navigable waters, it must submit a report to the Ports Commission and Governor; the Commission has 90 days to respond; and the Governor must approve before construction can proceed.

• Prohibits creation of new local port authorities after June 30, 2014 with jurisdiction over navigable waterways and prevents existing port authorities from expanding jurisdiction to include navigable waters after that date.

• Applies to port authority development plans that include work on or adjacent to navigable waters, requiring them to undergo the same review and gubernatorial approval process.

• Effective upon passage and July 1, 2014; declares an emergency for this act.