Inside the corner of the community room of the Gary Public Library, dozens of Gary and Northwest Indiana residents gathered with state officials to discuss how to spend millions of dollars to tackle the region’s air pollution.
“You’re a partner, and we’ve got to get this money,” said Bruce Curry, a Gary resident, who received applause from the crowd. “We’ve got to get this money to fix things.”
During Thursday’s meeting at the library, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management heard from local residents about how to effectively use funds to tackle climate issues in Gary and Northwest Indiana. Residents highlighted key initiatives that could benefit Gary, including installing solar panels on schools, promoting urban gardening for food production, enhancing street lighting, and exploring ways to optimize the city’s green spaces.
“Starting off with climate change, I think it’s going to be very crucial that we educate the next generation because we want to make sure it’s sustainable 100 years, 200 years,” said Tracy Coleman, a Gary resident, attorney, and former park ranger. “So our children and grandchildren will have a safe environment.”
Gary’s long history with pollution stems from decades of emissions from the city’s namesake steel mill, Gary Works. Gary leads Indiana cities in toxic industrial emissions per square mile., according to a 2021 EPA Toxic Emissions Report.
Studies have linked exposure to air pollutants from steel mills to cancer, heart and lung function impairment, and other chronic diseases. Black Americans in lower-income areas tend to live in areas with greater exposure to air pollution, according to the American Lung Association.
IDEM is currently in the second phase of a competitive, multistage process where Indiana, alongside other states, vies for a portion of the EPA’s $4.6 billion fund, which will be allocated to states to reduce climate pollution and start clean energy initiatives. EPA awarded IDEM a $3 million planning grant last year to develop the Climate Action Plan, which is due to the EPA on March 1. In preparation, IDEM embarked on a statewide tour to solicit feedback from Hoosiers to help shape the plan’s direction. So far, IDEM has visited Portage, Ferdinand, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis, and will host its final public meeting in Evansville on Feb. 8.
Throughout Thursday’s 90-minute meeting, attendees, sitting less than a mile from the steel mill’s belching smokestacks, were eager to collaborate.
“Hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship, so that we can see positive change in our environment,” Coleman said.
The EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program works within the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to direct 40% of the benefits of climate, clean energy, and other federal investments to underinvested and over-polluted communities. With the grant, IDEM hopes to include more data on Indiana’s greenhouse gas emissions, identify highly impacted areas, and potential reduction measures.
“IDEM has received many ideas and novel solutions from other meetings throughout the state. We’re looking forward to incorporating feedback from Gary and Evansville in our upcoming proposal to the EPA,” said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess.
Residents can learn more about the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant online, or voice their feedback via email cprg@idem.in.gov.