Multiple Northwest Indiana environmental groups have filed petitions against air permit renewals for a region steel plant and oil refinery, saying they’re inadequate.
According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, a Jan. 2 petition was filed for a permit renewal at BP’s Whiting refinery, and another petition was filed on Dec. 23, 2025, for a renewal at U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant in Portage. The petitions, which were sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claim that the permits don’t include 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 Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued the permits.
“Each permit was determined by the agency to meet all applicable state and federal requirements and was subject to review by U.S. EPA before issuance,” IDEM said in an emailed statement. “In each case, U.S. EPA did not object to the issuance during the respective 45-day review period.”
IDEM did not have any comment on the specific substance of the complaints, as it emphasized that the matters are under review by the U.S. EPA.
“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,” Kerri Gefeke, associate attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said in a news release. “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.”
The Environmental Law and Policy Center, Northern Lake County Environmental Partnership, Gary Advocates for Responsible Development and Just Transition Northwest Indiana were part of both filed petitions. Save the Dunes joined the BP petition.
“With these permit renewals, once again, corporate interests are being placed above the health of Northwest Indiana communities,” said Lisa Vallee, organizing director for Just Transition Northwest Indiana. “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.”
According to the petition, the community groups believe that the U.S. Steel permit renewal has multiple issues, including failing to include requirements that ensure compliance with emission limits and federal regulations. The petition asks the EPA to reject the Midwest Plant permit renewal.
As part of the rejection, the petition asks the EPA to require IDEM revise the permit renewal to meet compliance with emission limits and federal regulations.
“IDEM should never have issued these permit renewals, which lack the basic protections of the Clean Air Act,” Vallee said. “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.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Steel responded to the petition in a statement.
“U.S. Steel is pleased with the renewal of our operating permit for Midwest,” the statement said. “This is a standard permit renewal which occurs every five years. There are no increases in emissions limits or new equipment in the permit. We are proud of the more than 4,000 men and women who put safety and environmental compliance first, and we value the Northwest Indiana community where we live and work.”
In the BP petition, the groups say the refinery’s permit fails to include a particulate matter emissions limit that is required by Indiana’s federally-approved State Implementation Plan. The petition asks the EPA to require IDEM to revise the permit.
A BP spokesperson also responded to the petition in a statement.
“BP is committed to safe and compliant operations at the Whiting Refinery,” the statement said. “We will continue working every day to keep this commitment and to ensure the refinery remains an important part of Northwest Indiana for years to come.”
Gefeke, in a news release, said numerous studies have shown the area has some of the highest rates of air pollution nationwide, including high asthma and cancer rates.
The American Lung Association, in April 2025, announced that Hoosiers are breathing some of the nation’s most polluted air, according to Post-Tribune archives. The organization gave Lake County failing grades in three categories: ozone pollution, 24-hour particle pollution and annual particle pollution. Porter County only received a passing grade for annual particle pollution.
Ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other health effects, including asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm birth and impaired cognitive function, according to the American Lung Association. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer, according to the organization.
The American Lung Association found that, in 2020, Indiana had a lung cancer rate of 72.5 per 100,000 people, with Lake County as one of the state’s counties with the highest cancer mortality rates. A 2016 report from the JAMA Network also found Gary as one of the five U.S. cities with the lowest life expectancy at one point.
“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,” Gefeke said.
