May 2025 Policy Dive
It’s been a whirlwind of activity locally and federally, a dynamic, fast-paced clash of policy shifts and community resistance that’s reshaping our region's environmental justice landscape. Read through these updates for a crash course on what happened in May, and help us elevate and respond to these pressing issues:
Local Updates:
Trouble in the Water: Along Trail Creek, JTNWI and community allies spotted unannounced repairs on the steel seawall at the NIPSCO Michigan City Generating Station. The wall is the only thing holding back two million tons of toxic coal ash from erupting into Lake Michigan, the drinking water source for 10 million people. We sent urgent questions to NiSource, the EPA, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, demanding answers on water quality and coal ash testing.
Data Center Push Back: At the Porter County Plan Commission meeting, nearly 1,000 residents in a sea of coordinated orange shirts packed the room to protest the massive data center planned for Wheeler in Union Township. JTNWI testified alongside this sea of solidarity, showing what organized people can do when they rise together.
Steel Delay: Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel mill’s blast furnace relining, adding new lining to extend the furnace's life, is delayed until 2027. JTNWI and partners, Gary Advocates for Responsible Development and Industrious Labs, are planning efforts to educate our communities about sustainable alternatives to coal-based steelmaking, including Direct Reduced Iron technology, to move away from coal once and for all, and the associated improved health and well-being benefits.
Nippon’s Big Bet: Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steel producer, is merging with U.S. Steel, an estimated $14 billion deal, but questions swirl. Is it a purchase? A partnership? Will workers, like those at Gary Works mill locally, have their voices prioritized in future decision-making? The chaos around tariffs and backdoor deals is unsettling, but we’re watching every move.
Exemption Outrage: U.S. Steel is asking the EPA for two-year exemptions from critical hazardous air pollutant rules. Thanks to polluter-friendly rule-bending, dangerous emissions will likely get a free pass, and this request won’t be the last. JTNWI is adamantly opposed, and we’re sounding the alarm for all our communities.
BP’s Mercury Mess: The BP Whiting refinery wants to dump more mercury, a potent neurotoxin, into Lake Michigan, right near public beaches and salmon fisheries. At a packed IDEM hearing on the draft water pollution permit, JTNWI testified alongside others, demanding real accountability. We joined forces with the Environmental Law and Policy Center and other allies to submit hard-hitting comments to decry this flawed permit.
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State & National Frontlines:
Federal Flurry: The Department of Energy is pulling the plug on $3.7 billion in projects related to the federal hydrogen hub program awards. JTNWI wasted no time calling out our congressmen's pleas to keep the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen Hub (MachH2) alive as a false solution that offers negligible job opportunities. The final verdict? Uncertain, but if history tells us anything, massive tax breaks will keep polluters, like BP, clamoring to stay in the game.
CO2 Risky Business: JTNWI virtually testified at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources hearing on the draft carbon capture and storage rules in Winchester. We also joined Earthjustice and Citizens Action Coalition in submitting public comments to expose the rules’ dangers: lack of transparency, no local meetings in CCS-impacted communities, earthquake risks, and weak safety standards. The federal safety rules have been pulled, but our voices are in the record, and the fight’s not over.
From blast furnace relines to data centers, from mercury pollution to backroom deals, our communities face an onslaught of threats to health and the environment. These challenges will only intensify as some decisions drag through the courts and others steamroll through legislative loopholes.
But here’s the truth: the power of organized people is unstoppable. Now more than ever, collective action across regions and states, rooted in solidarity and community, will light the path forward. Let’s meet the moment together to ensure that NWI communities not only survive but thrive.
Stay tuned for our next dive in the June edition of our monthly newsletter!
