Northwest Indiana has long been one of the most industrialized corridors in the country. The cities of East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting, situated on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, are dominated by oil refineries, steel mills, and chemical plants. The BP Whiting Refinery, one of the largest in the U.S., anchors the area—bringing jobs, but also frequent accidents, flaring events, and generations of toxic pollution. These communities are known as “sacrifice zones”—bearing disproportionate burdens of fossil fuel pollution and health risks.
Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI) was founded to confront this legacy and support a transition to healthier, more equitable communities. For its first years, JTNWI focused broadly on climate justice in northern Indiana. The proposed MachH2 Hydrogen Hub—anchored at the BP Whiting Refinery with a massive blue hydrogen facility and CO₂ pipeline—became a turning point.
Blue hydrogen is made from natural gas, with carbon emissions captured and stored underground instead of being released. It requires pipelines to transport both the hydrogen to users and the captured carbon dioxide to storage sites. JTNWI recognized the urgent need for door-to-door education and organizing to counter corporate narratives and ensure residents’ voices were heard. Launched in June 2023, the canvass aimed to educate residents, capture community concerns, and build local leadership around the MachH2 project.
Authored by Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons.
