Indiana advocates sue EPA over U.S. Steel air permit, say communities lack protections

Residents living near northwest Indiana's sprawling steel corridor say a federal delay is leaving them without answers about whether their air is being adequately protected — and they are taking the fight to federal court.

A coalition of community and environmental groups is now suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accusing the agency of failing to meet a legal deadline to review an air permit for U.S. Steel's Gary Works mill.

What's happening?

At issue is a Clean Air Act petition over an air permit the Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued to U.S. Steel in April 2025, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The newspaper reported that the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Environmental Integrity Project, Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, and Just Transition Northwest Indiana say they asked the EPA on July 3, 2025, to review that permit. The groups argue the Clean Air Act gave the agency 60 days to respond, but it still has not issued a decision.

In their suit, the plaintiffs ask the court to declare that the EPA violated the federal Clean Air Act and to require the agency to issue its position on the 2025 permit within 60 days of a ruling. 

"Congress established clear deadlines so communities, regulators, and industry are not left in limbo," Max Lopez, an attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said in a release cited by the Star.

The agency's press office declined to comment, telling the paper: "In keeping with a longstanding practice, EPA does not comment on pending litigation."

Why does it matter?

Environmental advocates say the delay in a decision could leave nearby communities without stronger protections against pollution from one of the region's largest industrial sites. 

Lisa Vallee of Just Transition Northwest Indiana wrote in an email to the Star, "It is unconscionable that, despite decades of evidence documenting the devastating health impacts of steelmaking pollution, U.S. Steel would seek a permit that fails to include even the most basic protections for the communities living at its fenceline."

The lawsuit comes as Indiana environmental groups continue to push for stricter rules on air pollution from steel plants in northwest Indiana.

What's being done?

The groups' lawsuit is intended to compel the EPA to act on the permit rather than leave it unresolved.

Earlier this year, SteelWatch and Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute each released reports on how Indiana's steel industry could shift toward cleaner manufacturing while preserving local union jobs.

Community leaders say those protections should include better systems for catching problems early. 

Dorreen Carey, president of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, said in a release cited by the Star that it is time for the EPA to require an approach that includes "continuous real-time monitoring, timely intervention, corrective action, and enforcement to assure the mill is in compliance with the Clean Air Act."

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