Despite several 25 plus huge dump trucks, excavators, on-Site trailers, large drilling equipment, and several truck loads of large tanker trucks spraying chemicals, and 24 hour police protection, on the Hobart Data Center location, the site plan has not been approved. Anyone driving by would think that it’s full speed ahead on construction but in reality, only a fill permit has been approved. Most of the residents don’t know what’s going on, and think that the Hobart Data Center has been approved.
The final site plan, detailing the exact layout and environmental impact studies, is the next anticipated step following the fill permit. One local environmental group, Just Transitions Nwi, doesn’t think it’s a very good idea, To build this large Data Center Complex next to the Deep River Wetlands, Lake George, Fred Rose park, Indiana Dunes nature Preserve, and many more nature preserves within less than a mile away, not to mention the people living there, and next to the Powers Hospital.
Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI) is a grassroots environmental justice organization that serves Northwest Indiana. Their work centers on a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The NWI region is also home to the Indiana Dunes National Park and Lake Michigan. It is one of North America’s most ecologically rich areas, important for time immemorial to dozens of Native American tribes.
Within this unique biodiversity exists the legacy of the fossil fuel industry, Steel Mills, the third largest refinery in the US, BP Amoco, and many more Industrial Plants representing a stark dichotomy. These corporate facilities have long treated the region as a sacrifice zone, where communities are sacrificed by corporate polluters.
Here’s How Just Transitions Petition Reads:
Amazon’s proposed Hobart Tech Park is a major industrial development that will profoundly impact our community. The current plans – PC 26-12 (Hobart Owner, LLC) and PC 26-14 (Tuhaus, LLC) – include approximately 6 buildings on 178 acres plus 20 buildings on 605 acres, totaling roughly 26 buildings across more than 700 acres. This campus is proposed directly next to residential neighborhoods, a thriving wetlands habitat, and nearby floodplain systems.
The Northwest Indiana community already faces serious, unresolved concerns posed by this data center development:
– Potential harm to wetlands, floodplains, and natural drainage from mass grading across hundreds of acres
– Changes to groundwater movement and possible dewatering during construction
– Risks to soil stability from large-scale grading and engineered fill
– Incomplete evaluation of hydrologic and ecological impacts next to homes
– Cumulative environmental burden of an industrial campus of this scale, sited adjacent to residential areas
– The ethical failure of approving a project of this magnitude without an independent environmental or health impact assessment
That is why “I” am asking you to vote down the current site plan and, before any vote is taken, require the following measures:
1. Independent Impact Studies:
– Air quality and emissions analysis
– Noise impact analysis
– Long-term health and environmental impacts analysis
– Additional impact analyses, including but not limited to water use, cooling systems, and discharge; flooding, wetlands, and stormwater impacts; heat island impacts; and emergency response and public safety
2. Continuous Environmental Monitoring:
– Noise monitoring at residential property lines
– Air monitoring near generators
– Annual environmental compliance reports
– Automatic public alerts when thresholds are exceeded, and a public dashboard for residents
3. Property Value Protection Program:
– A formal program to protect nearby homeowners if the development negatively affects property values
4. Generator Testing & Emissions Limits:
– Generator testing permitted only during daytime hours
– Simultaneous testing prohibited across all buildings
– Annual cap on total testing hours
– Advance public notice of all testing schedules
Here’s The Online Petition:
https://www.jtnwi.org/hobart-vote-no
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
