No False Solutions NWI Campaign
A false solution is a technology that companies claim to be a climate solution, but, in fact, creates even more pollution and harm! Northwest Indiana is being targeted for expensive, false solution projects that threaten our safety, including a massive hydrogen hub. Dirty hydrogen created from fossil fuel energy is ineffective and dangerous for our already overburdened communities. We need real, sustainable solutions that prioritize people and the planet, not corporate greenwashing tactics.
As part of the federal hydrogen hub program, the Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen Hub (MachH2) to create hydrogen projects in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa. The projects will receive up to $1 billion in tax-payer dollars for all four completed phases. MachH2 plans to use gas, nuclear, and wind power to produce hydrogen, with the goal of cutting emissions from industries like manufacturing, steel and glass production, power plants, oil refining, and heavy-duty transportation.
Within the hub, BP Whiting refinery plans to construct a hydrogen production facility using fossil gas to produce “blue hydrogen." This will require hundreds of miles of dangerous pipelines to be built through Lake, Newton, Jasper, White, Benton, and Pulaski Counties to transport and store 23 million metric tons of CO2 created from its hydrogen facility and the neighboring steel industry. The project is called “Project Crossroads,” and will receive up to $138 million in funding from the DOE and the State of Indiana.
UPDATE: In March 2025, Politico reported that some hydrogen hubs around the U.S. might face cuts under the current federal administration, especially in states that usually lean blue. This could include MachH2, but the fate of all hubs is currently unknown.
Take action now to against these false solutions by signing and sharing JTNWI’s petitions and resources below.
Sign & Share Our Petitions!
1. We Demand a Public Process on Dirty Hydrogen Projects in Indiana!
Contact your Indiana Congresspeople to advocate for community transparency and accountability on dirty, unsafe hydrogen and carbon capture and storage federal projects impacting our state.
2. Stop the Proposed BP Whiting Refinery Carbon Dioxide Pipeline!
Join us in urging Lake County, Indiana, Commissioners and Councilors to stop the proposed BP Whiting CO2 pipeline to protect the health and safety of communities around the region.
What are False Solutions Being Pushed in the Region?
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Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) captures carbon emissions at fossil-fueled power plants and industrial facilities. The carbon is then either sequestered underground or put to use.
CCS is linked to:
Surface migration resulting in asphyxiation and death and stalled vehicles
Water and soil contamination resulting in contamination of our drinking water and the leaching of other contaminants
Earthquakes due to the activation of existing or the creation of new faults and fractures of tectonic plates.
CCS goes hand in hand with the MachH2 Hub because the hub will utilize "Blue" Hydrogen, which is fossil-fuel derived with the addition of CCS, where CO2 is filtered out of emissions and stored underground in dumps or pipelines.
One needs to look no further than the 2020 CO2 pipeline explosion in Satartia, MS, to see the disasters that are possible with CCS pipelines. The emergency was so dire that the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the Department of Transportation agreed to revisit the regulations, now due in 2024.
CCS projects are already underway in Indiana. In Vigo and Vermillion Counties, Wabash Valley Resources plans to build a fertilizer plant and create, transport, and dump 1.67 million tons of waste carbon dioxide (CO2) every year for 12 years, which would make this project the largest CO2 dump in U.S. history. Due to the advocacy of community members and the Citizens Action Coalition, this proposed project is getting notable pushback.
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Hydrogen is being touted as a replacement for fossil fuels and can store energy for transport for later use. Hydrogen can be made by splitting water, H2O, with a lot of electricity, and a machine called an electrolyzer. The electrolyzer can be powered by various resources, such as fossil gas, steam, nuclear power, biogas, and renewable power, like wind and solar energy.
Ninety-nine percent of hydrogen is currently produced using fossil fuels. All forms of hydrogen use vast quantities of water, which will impact our Great Lakes ecosystem. Hydrogen transportation poses unique safety issues: it is highly flammable, burns hotter than gas, and is more explosive and corrosive to pipelines.
When perfected and implemented with true community buy-in and consent, green hydrogen created from renewable energy is the only feasible hydrogen source in decarbonizing Northwest Indiana’s steel sector, also known as “green” or sustainable” steel.
These False Solutions will only perpetuate environmental injustice in a region that has historically suffered the disproportionate burdens of polluting industry. NWI needs real climate solutions like community renewable power and energy efficiency.
Northwest Indiana Spotlight
Northwest Indiana has long been the heart of America’s steel industry. For decades, companies like BP, U.S. Steel, and Cleveland-Cliffs (formerly ArcelorMittal)—have powered the local economy and provided good-paying jobs for more than 28,000 workers. This area, part of the historic Rust Belt, is home to four of the nation’s eleven steel mills, making it the foremost hub for steel production.
But all this industrial activity comes with a cost. According to the EPA, people living near these mills are exposed to around 80 tons of toxic metal emissions every year. In fact, 90% of all steel-related emissions in the U.S. come from right here in Northwest Indiana.
The International Energy Association says the steel industry needs to slash its emissions by at least half by 2050 to meet global climate goals. Big car companies like GM, Honda, Toyota, Stellantis, and Subaru—all of which have factories in Indiana—have also pledged to clean up their supply chains and become carbon neutral in the coming decades. In attempt to meet these targets, some companies are pushing projects like BP’s proposed CO2 pipeline and blue hydrogen plant, falsely claiming they are a climate solution.
As we respond to these projects, JTNWI is pushing back and calling for a just transition to energy efficiency and renewable power that safeguards good union jobs and protects people’s health and the planet. We are also demanding community transparency and accountability at every step and working with other hydrogen-impacted communities.
Our approach is guided by a report called “Hydrogen Energy: A Critical Review to Ensure Community and Climate Benefits.” JTNWI and other frontline groups co-authored this report by Just Solutions Collective. The framework advises against fossil fuel hydrogen and advocates for protecting water resources, improving safety and accountability, and using only green hydrogen created from renewable energy for reducing carbon emissions in “hard-to-decarbonize” sectors, like steel. In Northwest Indiana, we must build what we need now to protect communities and workers.