In April 2024, the ECOS Environmental Justice (EJ) Workgroup welcomed the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to discuss their ongoing collaborative work with the city government of Gary, Indiana to combat open dumping on city-owned property. The meeting recording is available below:
IDEM and the City of Gary had been unable to reach an agreement to enter into an Agreed Order concerning open dumping on city-owned properties. Recognizing that the local government lacked the resources to tackle the issue on its own, rather than issuing a unilateral Commissioner’s Order, IDEM worked with the incoming mayoral administration to find a collaborative solution. IDEM awarded Gary grants for barriers, license plate scanners, and other enforcement methods, and will soon be announcing a joint local task force to further tackle open dumping. IDEM hopes to continue working with local governments and agencies to prioritize EJ communities, including an ongoing effort to remove lead pipes from a disadvantaged neighborhood in Indianapolis.
Thank you to Commissioner Brian Rockensuess of IDEM for sharing his experiences and lessons learned with the ECOS EJ Workgroup.
