Progress through partnership: A balanced path forward for Northwest Indiana

The Northwest Indiana Forum is encouraging stakeholders to engage in a fact-based dialogue about the future of the industries in our region and recognize both the region's economic strengths and its environmental stewardship.

Northwest Indiana is a vibrant region that has been built on major industries. Steel mills, refineries, energy producers, manufacturers, and related businesses form the backbone of our economy, providing thousands of family-sustaining, good-paying jobs and supporting countless local businesses. Northwest Indiana is a region that has helped to build this country by making things that matter. This legacy is a defining part of our identity.

However, we are increasingly seeing advocacy efforts that could adversely impact the future of our economy. This economy is one that is dependent on high paying jobs in the industrial sector to make Northwest Indiana a great place to live, work and raise a family. At times, these organizations collaborate with groups without ties to our region, omit critical information and fail to recognize the detrimental consequences that could unfold on our communities if these industries go away.

These efforts to publicize misleading information will ultimately be counterproductive, because they portray Northwest Indiana as a place that bears no resemblance to this region we call home. Northwest Indiana is a place where heavy industry, the Great Lakes and unique natural habitats have coexisted in relative harmony for decades, and where real progress is being made toward advancing environmental responsibility.

Framing the conversation as a choice between environmental stewardship and economic prosperity oversimplifies a complex issue and fails to reflect the realities facing our communities. Northwest Indiana's future depends on our ability to advance both priorities together.

Over the last 50 years, Northwest Indiana employers have invested billions of dollars in cleaner technologies, emissions-control systems, wastewater treatment infrastructure, environmental monitoring programs, spill-prevention, control and countermeasures, habitat restoration efforts, and brownfield redevelopment projects. These investments have contributed to measurable environmental improvements throughout the region, including emissions reductions, enhanced water quality protections, ecosystem restoration, and continued progress along the Lake Michigan and Grand Calumet River corridors.

These local improvements reflect broader environmental trends occurring across the nation. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Our Nation's Air 2025 report, air quality across the United States has improved dramatically since 1990 as emissions of key pollutants have steadily declined. Concentrations of major pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter, have fallen significantly due to cleaner technologies, stronger environmental standards, and continued investments in pollution control. The EPA's findings demonstrate that environmental progress and economic growth can advance together.

Northwest Indiana's air quality data tell a similar story. According to monitoring conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), when ozone exceptional events attributable to out-of-state wildfire smoke are excluded, all criteria pollutants monitored in Northwest Indiana meet the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These results underscore the significant environmental progress achieved across the region while maintaining a strong industrial economy.

Public discourse should acknowledge the ongoing progress made by the region's industrial employers and the risks if these industries go away. Maintaining globally competitive manufacturing operations remains critical to preserving high-quality jobs, supporting local businesses, generating tax revenue, and creating the resources necessary for future community and environmental investments.

Northwest Indiana's future is strongest when economic development and environmental responsibility advance together. Our industries have provided opportunities for generations of families and continue to invest billions of dollars in technologies and practices that improve environmental performance while maintaining global competitiveness. We should reject false choices suggesting communities must decide between economic opportunity and environmental stewardship. Our path forward is built on partnership, innovation, accountability and a shared commitment to ensuring Northwest Indiana remains a great place to invest time, talent and treasure.

Northwest Indiana's story has always been one of resilience, hard work and progress. By continuing to support responsible investment, technological innovation, and constructive dialogue, we can build a future where economic strength and environmental responsibility advance together for generations to come.