Gary environmental group says IDEM’s approval of Fulcrum permit disregards public health concerns

The environmental group Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, which has been vocal in its opposition to the proposed Fulcrum Energy biofuels plant for the city, filed a series of reports on Tuesday claiming the Indiana Department of Environmental Management “failed to do the research that would ensure they were protecting public health and the environment” when they approved an air permit for Fulcrum’s Centerpoint plant in Gary.

Fulcrum is a California-based biofuel company that has set its sights on opening its second waste-to-jet fuel plant in Gary’s industrial zone. Ahead of the plant’s construction, IDEM approved Fulcrum’s request for an air permit, which was a critical step in getting the project off the ground, according to Fulcrum’s director of project development Flyn van Ewijk.

“It’s an approval to build the facility, it’s not an approval to operate the facility,” Ewijk said in an interview with the Post-Tribune. “Once we start operating it we have to demonstrate to IDEM that we can operate below the limits that they’ve set out in the permit.

GARD filed its complaint with the Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication.

“There is a wealth of information demonstrating that waste-to-fuel projects like the one Fulcrum proposes have failed over and over again,” Doreen Carey, GARD member and environmental consultant said in a news release. “The documents we are submitting show that Fulcrum’s unsupported statements in its air permit application could have and should have received much closer scrutiny.”

GARD has repeatedly voiced concerns over the plant, claiming the addition of more factories in Gary will lead to increased damage to the environment and public health.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Gary ranks well above the national average in cancer risk caused by air toxics, diesel particulates, Superfund site proximity and other environmental justice measures. On Tuesday, the EPA announced it would be awarding $100 million in grants for projects that advance environmental justice in communities disproportionately affected by industrial pollution and other hazards.

Fulcrum announced in December that its Sierra Biofuel plant in Nevada had successfully produced its first batch of jet fuel from waste material. That same month, GARD filed a petition with IOEA charging the air permit issued by IDEM violates Indiana law.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management was not immediately available for comment.

gwiebe@chicagotribune.com

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