Environmental groups are appealing the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's air permit renewals at BP Whiting Refinery and U.S. Steel's Midwest Plant steel mill in Portage, urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require that more be done to address air pollution.
Petitions filed urged the EPA to toughen air permit renewal requirements for steel mills and oil refineries and do more to address air pollution. They say the permits failed to include Clean Air Act requirements such as testing, recordkeeping and clear and enforceable monitoring.
Environmental Law & Policy Center Associate Attorney Kerri Gefeke 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.”
The Environmental Law & Policy Center, Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, Northern Lake County Environmental Partnership and Faith in Place filed an objection to the BP Whiting Refinery permit, saying it failed to include an emissions limit on particular matter.
Gefeke continued, “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.”
Public input from hearings were gathered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before approving the permit renewals, which are reviewed every few years to ensure they comply with any new additions or changes to federal law. The state agency looks to ensure that large industries follow any applicable laws limiting air and water pollution.
Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order last year mandating that Indiana not have any environmental regulations more stringent than federal requirements, saying he did not want to place any burdens on industry.
“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," Gefeke said.
