January 08, 2026
Environmental and community groups submitted two petitions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recent weeks, asking it to object to two inadequate air permit renewals the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) issued to a steel plant and an oil refinery in Northwest Indiana. A petition was filed on January 2 in connection to a permit renewal for BP Whiting and a separate petition was filed on December 23, 2025, in connection to a U.S. Steel Midwest Plant in Portage permit renewal. The permits fail to include many basic provisions of the Clean Air Act, including clear and enforceable monitoring, testing and recordkeeping requirements sufficient to assure compliance with all applicable requirements.
The U.S. Steel Midwest Plant petition was filed on behalf of the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD), Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI), Northern Lake County Environmental Partnership (NLCEP), National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Abrams Environmental Law Clinic, and Faith in Place. The groups contend that IDEM disregarded key concerns that U.S. EPA and other Commenters raised about the permits during the public comment period, specifically the permit’s failure to include requirements that ensure compliance with emission limits and federal regulations.
The BP Whiting petition was filed on behalf of ELPC, GARD, Environmental Integrity Project, Save the Dunes, JTNWI, NLCEP, and Faith in Place. The groups contend that, among other shortcomings, BP’s air permit fails to include an emissions limit on particulate matter that is required by Indiana’s federally-approved State Implementation Plan.
Kerri Gefeke, Associate Attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said:
“U.S. EPA should object to these permits because they’re inconsistent with the Clean Air Act and the region’s Hoosiers should not feel like they are living in a sacrifice zone. Numerous studies show that residents living near these facilities already suffer from some of the highest rates of air pollution in the nation – resulting in high rates of asthma, cancer, and other diseases. And recent reporting identifies Indiana’s natural environment as ranked dead last based on air and water quality as well as pollution threats.
“IDEM needs to do better and ensure that BP Whiting and U.S. Steel Midwest Plant are operating in a way that is not only economically lucrative but also protective of human health. IDEM can do that by simply ensuring that the permits it issues follow the law and include the necessary monitoring provisions to ensure that these plants – and similar facilities – are not polluting more than what’s allowable in their permits.”
Lisa Vallee, Organizing Director, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, said:
“With these permit renewals, once again, corporate interests are being placed above the health of Northwest Indiana communities. We have been carrying the weight of these decisions for decades, and our health outcomes prove it. With air quality among the worst in the nation, those of us who live in the region face higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.
“IDEM should never have issued these permit renewals, which lack the basic protections of the Clean Air Act. The U.S. EPA should do what is right and object. Our communities deserve to be safeguarded, and we will continue to advocate for a better future for all Hoosiers.”