The Environmental Law and Policy Center, with support from other organizations, sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, asking the agency to delay permits to U.S. Steel for several Gary Works facilities.
According to a Tuesday Gary Advocates for Responsible Development news release, the ELPC asked for the delay because the U.S. Steel application doesn’t contain information that would accurately calculate health- and climate-harming emissions from the modifications.
In the permit application, U.S. Steel requested blanket permits to modify four Gary Works blast furnaces, basic oxygen process shops, continuous casters and hot strip mills. ELPC and GARD allege that the information about the proposed modifications and their impacts on Gary Works’ emissions are incomplete.
“(U.S. Steel) wants to make a number of modifications to the iron and steelmaking operations at Gary Works, including the proposed reline of #14 Blast Furnace, but it fails to fully describe the proposed modifications or explain the impact they would have on the mill’s harmful emissions,” GARD President Dorreen Carey said in a news release. “Residents in Northwest Indiana need to be certain that the permit IDEM grants to U.S. Steel will be maximally protective of human health and the environment. In the absence of sufficient information in the permit application, this is unlikely to happen.”
A U.S. Steel representative released a statement Wednesday afternoon detailing the differences between the projects.
“U. S. Steel Gary Works is engaged in the reline of Blast Furnace #14 as part of routine maintenance activity required at all blast furnaces in the integrated steel making industry. The maintenance activity is separate and distinct from the projects for which U. S. Steel is seeking permits. Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel are making long term commitments to Gary Works and the Gary community. These commitments include implementing strategic and innovative projects that have meaningful environmental benefits while allowing Gary Works to continue to be a leader in the domestic steel markets,” according to the statement.
IDEM responded to the ELPC letter and permit concerns in a Wednesday afternoon statement. An agency representative said IDEM is in receipt of the U.S. Steel application.
“IDEM will review the application to ensure that all state and federal requirements are evaluated,” the email statement said. “The draft will be made available during the public notice period. Both the public and the U.S. EPA will have an opportunity to review the draft permit and provide comments before the permit becomes final.”
In the letter, the ELPC asks for at least 60 days for public review and comment, saying it’s warranted because of the highly technical nature of the requested changes. The letter also says the application is 249 pages long but is missing information.
The ELPC would also like for IDEM to hold at least two public hearings in Lake County, with one during the day and one in the evening.
“Such hearings would also allow IDEM to provide these local communities with information relevant to any proposed permits, such as the current operations of the facility, the emission changes from the proposed projects, and the steps (IDEM) is taking to ensure that U.S. Steel will operate in accordance with state and federal laws after authorizing any requested changes,” the ELPC letter said.
U.S. Steel was unable to immediately comment on the letter.
In February, U.S. Steel confirmed to the Post-Tribune that it will reline blast furnace #14 at the Gary Works facility, starting in May and ending in August. The reline will cost $350 million, and the company plans to supply customers with no interruptions during construction, according to Post-Tribune archives.
The U.S. Steel Board of Directors approved funding for the $350 million reline project, according to Post-Tribune archives. The blast furnace is the largest of the four at Gary Works, according to U.S. Steel, and it produces iron for high-strength steel that’s in products like cars and buildings.
In September 2025, the board also approved a $200 million investment into the Gary Works’ hot strip mill, which will help “optimize production costs and expand premium product offerings, including heavy gauge line pipe and automotive steel,” according to Post-Tribune archives.
In August 2024, Nippon Steel first announced it would invest about $300 million in Gary Works, but the Japanese company’s Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori later said it would invest $1 billion into Gary Works.
Nippon first announced it planned to buy the American company for $14.9 billion in cash and debt, and committed to keep the U.S. Steel name and Pittsburgh headquarters, according to Post-Tribune archives. In February 2025, President Donald Trump said Nippon would drop its acquisition to make an “investment, rather than a purchase.”
According to a previous U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Nippon Steel plans to give at least $3.1 billion in capital investments to Gary Works, starting with $400 million in 2025. This year, the company plans to invest $900 million in the facility, followed by $800 million in 2027 and $1.1 billion in 2028.
