Press Releases
JTNWI Statement on LaPorte County and NIPSCO Electric Rate Case Settlement Agreement to Evaluate Converting the Michigan City Coal Plant 2-10-25
Through a settlement with LaPorte County in its recent electric rate case last week, NIPSCO agreed to engage in studies to determine the potential of converting the Michigan City Generating Station (MCGS) and to evaluate other economic development prospects. In response to this news, JTNWI states:
The agreement reached between the County and NIPSCO uses the drastic and unconscionable 22% electricity rate hike to bypass community-driven redevelopment and divert attention from the necessary remediation that needs to occur on the MCGS lakefront site. We urge the LaPorte County commissioners to engage the community and accept public comments on these studies and issues related to the MCGS site before launching them.
If NIPSCO reneges on its commitment to completely retire the MCGS, it will continue to pollute the region and impede public health and safety. JTNWI is opposed to any decision that furthers the use of fossil fuels. Additionally, such a move will hamper Michigan City's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open up the Lake Michigan lakefront and create a true gateway to Indiana Dunes National Park, a significant source of tourism dollars. A recent Applied Economics Clinic Report on behalf of JTNWI illustrates beneficial community and economic examples of site reuse that maintain environmental integrity.
“As we anticipate some of the largest change points in our city’s history, with both the coal plant and state prison shuttering in the next few years, the fate of our community and our city’s west side hangs in the balance. Millions of tons of toxic coal ash waste sit on the lake at NIPSCO’s Michigan City coal-burning plant behind a failing seawall structure that threatens the drinking water for 10 million people. The Town of Pines is still struggling to seek justice decades after NIPSCO’s actions devastated their town with coal ash pollution. We deserve a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels that ensures the complete closure of the plant in 2028 and a community-led vision and plan for its reuse that promotes public well-being, generates local tax revenue, and guarantees family-sustaining jobs for impacted workers.
NIPSCO has a responsibility to the people of Michigan City to fully remove and clean up its legacy coal ash to restore the shoreline and eliminate environmental harm. NIPSCO must uphold its commitment to transition to renewable energy while focusing on increasing affordability and reducing energy waste. We encourage the LaPorte County commissioners to avoid making hasty decisions that will only serve to placate utility shareholders and tech profiteers and, instead, to authentically and inclusively engage the broader community in redevelopment plans and studies,” says Ashley Williams, executive director of JTNWI.
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Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI) is a grassroots environmental justice organization that serves the Northwest Indiana region. JTNWI’s mission is to educate and organize Northwest Indiana communities and workers, give voice to our shared stories, and support a just transition to a regenerative economy that protects the environment, climate, and future generations.
JTNWI Statement on DOE MachH2 Awards 11-20-24
In response to the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) awarding of up to $1 billion to the Midwest Hydrogen Hub led by the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), which covers Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa, on Wednesday, Just Transition Northwest Indiana released the following statements:
“We were literally in a meeting with DOE and OCED minutes before the announcement was made, with no mention that the award was being dropped today. We are justifiably stunned to see it suddenly flash over our news feed. We are fed up with the continuous lack of transparency. We are left with mounting questions more than answers about what we see as a dangerous experiment being conducted without our consent.”
“The announcement states 12,000 direct jobs will result from this hub, yet that number is highly disputable with no demonstrated evidence to back up these numbers or show that these jobs will employ local community members, be nothing more than temporary, or ensure essential worker safeguards.”
“In addition, the BP project’s main purpose is to generate “blue hydrogen.” This means toxic carbon dioxide created through the hydrogen production process will be transported via hundreds of miles of pipelines over six Indiana counties, starting in Lake County. However, today, OCED detailed it is not funding CCS projects through MachH2, and therefore, BP’s proposed CO2 pipeline falls outside of the promised community benefits plans included in the hubs permitting application structure. This convoluted situation allows for a tremendous amount of finger-pointing between federal agencies while at-risk environmental justice communities’ safety continues to be toyed with.”
“This past weekend, we hosted a rally event in the MachH2-impacted community of East Chicago, Indiana, to denounce the BP project and the secretive rollout process. Residents and regional leaders poured their hearts out about what this hub could mean. We are sick and tired of being a checkbox for DOE. That is exactly how we feel today.”
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Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI) is a grassroots environmental justice organization that serves the Northwest Indiana region. JTNWI’s mission is to educate and organize Northwest Indiana communities and workers, give voice to our shared stories, and support a just transition to a regenerative economy that protects the environment, climate, and future generations.