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Residents urge council to halt or recondition Project Maze data center over contamination and transparency concerns
Summary
Multiple residents urged Michigan City officials to halt construction or require stronger cleanup and air-permit review for a proposed data center on a former Federal-Mogul site, citing soil and vapor contamination, diesel backup-generator emissions and perceived FOIA and transparency gaps; council members said they would review submitted materials.
At the March 17 meeting, several residents used the public-comment period to press the Michigan City Common Council for stronger oversight of a proposed data center project (referred to in public comment as "Project Maze"), citing environmental contamination at the site and gaps in public transparency.
Ashley Williams of Just Transition Northwest Indiana presented detailed technical claims about soil and groundwater contamination at the former Federal-Mogul site where developers propose a data center. Williams said recent testing showed arsenic and toxic chemical (TC) concentrations above screening criteria in berm soils and cited sub-slab vapor samples from 2008 indicating extremely high TC levels. She also noted the project design includes numerous diesel backup generators and urged the council to ask IDEM and the EPA to halt construction until soils are fully characterized, contaminated soils removed or confirmed clean, a public hearing is held on any reissued air permit, and the developer commits to modern emissions controls and community protections.
"This is an injustice: a massive facility atop an under‑remediated toxic site in a community that already carries an environmental burden," Williams told the council, asking that future approvals be tied to documented cleanup progress, modern emission controls, health protections and community benefits.
Other commenters raised procedural and transparency concerns. Amy Lisonbee said she filed repeated FOIA requests seeking documents related to the city’s handling of the same project and said the city responded that no documents exist despite public billing records indicating attorney work on the matter. Lisonbee said the timing of billing records and city workshops appears inconsistent and that the council should demand answers about document availability and the timeline of city involvement.
Additional public speakers raised local impacts: residents cited truck traffic, dust, noise, light pollution and the prospect of multiple diesel generators as threats to nearby neighborhoods and schools; one speaker asked the council to require a full public hearing on the air‑permit for backup generators.
Council and staff responses recorded at the meeting: Councilwoman Moldenhauer acknowledged receipt of the Just Transition Northwest Indiana letter that arrived late the afternoon of March 17 and said she would review it and respond. Other council members noted property-line and annexation details related to the site and said follow-up with city departments (planning, public works, police, parks) would be appropriate. No formal council action on the development or permits occurred at the meeting.
Claims and next steps: The concerns raised are requests to other regulators (IDEM, EPA) and to the council for local oversight steps. Council members said they would review materials submitted by residents and coordinate with relevant city staff; the comment record shows no vote or binding direction to halt construction at this meeting.
