IN: Earth Day in Duneland: Chicago-to-Valpo Amtrak line touted as public transit win

A proposed Amtrak line would link Chicago to Valparaiso as part of a new Midwest rail service between Chicago and Pittsburgh.

Such a project would be a major win for public transit, environmental experts noted, at a time when the transportation sector overall is the leading producer of carbon emissions in the US.

The possible Valpo line was one silver lining in what was mostly an ominous, pessimistic update from the Environmental Law & Policy Center on the current state of the Great Lakes Region.

“The impacts of climate change are leading to more intensive storms, high winds, and heavy waves that batter the shoreline,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Chicago-based ELPC.

Duneland and the South Shore were cited as places where the shoreline level could be “on a roller coaster” and face massive heat waves this summer. These developments could lead to increased beach closures and infrastructure damage.

Last year, the south shore saw an increase in beach closure and advisory days, according to the ELPC, though that varied dramatically by location.

In particular, beaches in Whiting and East Chicago, such as Buffington Harbor and Jeorse Park, saw major increases in closure/advisory days last year.

Currently, the ELPC is also tracking air and water across Northwest Indiana.

“In this Region, the beauty is interspersed alongside massive and highly polluting industrial facilities,” the ELPC website states. “That includes steel mills, an oil refinery and chemical plants.”

Environmental advocates are worried that they will soon have to add ‘data centers’ to that list as well. Proposed projects, such as a potential data center in Hobart, have drawn large community opposition for a variety of reasons, including concerns about local energy cost hikes, noise pollution and water contamination.

"Northwest Indiana is such an amazing gem," said ELPC attorney Kerri Gefeke. "The possible proliferation of data centers in NWI is definitely a concern and a the public is rightly concerned they are being locked out of that process. We've been watching the data center proposal in Hobart, which is concerning since it's so close to special places we're looking to protect like the dunes."

Gefeke and others at the ELPC continue to look at "where the rubber meets the road for clean air and clean water" as far permitting and regulations for the steel and oil refinery industry in the area.

State regulations in Indiana have been streamline by Gov. Mike Braun, but overall state-level protections haven't seen the level of rollback that has taken place at the federal level.

According to Gefeke, the ELPC and other local groups are keeping a close eye on the state of blast furnaces, which some steel mills are looking to reline.

"This would lock the industry in for another 20 years, which is great for labor," Gefeke said. "However, there is a concern that this also locks in a coal-based energy system."

The ELPC tracks air emissions and water effluent data submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and plans to take action under the Clean Air and Clean Water Act “when appropriate.”

Learner suggested that despite environmental protection rollbacks by the Trump Administration, there was still bipartisan support in Indiana and other Midwest states to protect the Great Lakes.

“We are getting things done in the Midwest,” Learner said, “even while Trump assaults our core environmental values and rolls back years of progress. We are playing defense. But the Great Lakes is a place we love, where we live, where we play. Let’s take our victories where we can.”

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