Published by Northshore Gen. Last verified August 31, 2026. Material conclusions are dated, sourced and corrected in public.
Editorial rules
How conclusions are made
Primary official records are used before commentary.
New sources are classified and reviewed for public metadata, original access, copyright treatment and controlling-record relationships before use.
Facts, proposals, uncertainty and opinion are labeled separately.
Application claims include page citations where applicable.
“Not supported” never means “future event impossible.”
Corrections preserve the previous record and the change date.
What changes the verdict
New evidence—not repetition
A bridge-power application or air-permit modification
A temporary-generation contract for Hobart
A confirmed utility-delay notice tied to diesel operation
A final IDEM condition materially different from the request
Document history
Later permits will be added, not silently substituted
Open the document-version history
submitted
Amazon-submitted air-permit application
Received by IDEM July 24, 2026
IDEM Permit 089-50590-00739 is listed as Initial Processing. The application is not an IDEM-issued permit.
draft
IDEM draft permit
Not yet published
Reserved for the draft document and public-comment record when IDEM publishes them.
final
IDEM approved air permit
Not yet issued
Reserved for the approved permit and enforceable conditions if IDEM issues the permit.
historical
Later permit modifications
None
Future revisions will be preserved as separate dated versions rather than replacing earlier records.
Public corrections
Point to the claim and the source.
The no-login correction form accepts a claim or page reference, official source URL, explanation and optional contact email. It does not accept uploads.
This is an independent public-information project. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon, IDEM, EPA, NIPSCO, NiSource, GenCo, MISO or IURC.
Public changelog
Material site updates
Open the full public changelog
Current court, City-agenda and utility-filing records added
Added the current Indiana MyCase docket summary: 45D11 is shown as “Pending (active)” with August dismissal-motion activity and a September 22 hearing; the related 45D10 summary is labeled “Decided,” but no public disposition or merits order was identified; and 45D04 still displays “Pending” with no new substantive update identified. Added the August 17 Hobart Redevelopment Commission agenda and September 3 Plan Commission agenda, preserving the distinction between agenda items and approved action. Added the August 25 Cause 46322 tariff-sheet filing from the IURC weekly list as docket activity only. The site-level verification date now matches this review.
Permit, state plan-review, court and utility dockets updated
Added IDEM Permit 089-50590-00739 with its July 24 application-received milestone and Initial Processing status; Indiana DHS Project 462383’s July 20 Form COR filing and July 21 Standard design release; the July 28 court order consolidating the two active judicial-review matters; and the public title and date of the July 16 Cause 46322 compliance filing. Each source now states its access treatment and controlling-record relationship. The court consolidation is not a merits ruling, the state design release is not a local building permit or occupancy approval, and no confidential IURC material was accessed.
Media and utility updates checked against the existing record
Added the reported May 7 Plan Commission 8–0 site-plan outcome, the February 5 fill-permit vote details, the reported receipt of the first $47 million contribution and later NIPSCO/NiSource updates describing an expanded Amazon load, accelerated energization and broader customer-savings estimates. Each item is attributed and scope-labeled; the June 17 IURC orders remain the controlling utility record.
Developer reimbursement claim reviewed
Added a high-confidence finding that qualifying data-center review costs are likely subject to Hobart’s Chapter 155 reimbursement framework. Kept the reported $205,000 total, actual reimbursement payments and resident-lawsuit defense costs labeled unverified until an Amazon-specific agreement and accounting ledger are obtained. Separately labeled the billion-dollar revenue statement as a long-term projection rather than a realized net return.
Court status and NIPSCO cost questions added
Added a source-backed review of three related Lake Superior Court matters. The record now includes the February 18 final order confirming the ERA and real-property abatements, the March 26 first-fill-permit dismissal, the April 13 denial of reconsideration, the June site-plan petition and July briefing activity. Added direct answers on Amazon/GenCo cost responsibility, early-exit protections and why the current NIPSCO base-rate increase should not be attributed to Hobart without the applicable rate order or rider.
March 2026 community webinar reviewed and added
Added the official Northwest Indiana Forum webinar as a company/community presentation, with timestamped summaries and evidence-status labels. Cross-checked the generation, battery, utility and noise-rule statements against official records; preserved water, sound, site-design and community-program figures as attributed projections or commitments.
Opposition-site claims and linked records independently reviewed
Added current ratings for the stale 25-building/24-generator estimate, continuous-diesel claims, the non-Hobart Virginia noise study, environmental-review language, tax incentives, job accountability and legal-process allegations. Added the City’s stormwater review, noise ordinance and economic agreements, including the $175 million contribution schedule.
Active grading and planned vertical construction added
Updated the construction record to reflect Northshore Gen’s dated observation that mass grading is underway. Added corroborating public statements that the Hobart campus is currently under construction and that the first vertical building was expected as a 2026 milestone. Late-2026 vertical construction remains labeled scheduled, not completed.
Control technology, FESOP review and public comment clarified
Added Amazon’s actual control-efficiency values, distinguished Tier 2 engine certification from Tier 4-equivalent aftertreatment, and replaced an inapplicable Title V timeline with IDEM’s current FESOP public-review pathway. Added the usually 30-day comment period, official Lake County notice page, mailing-list contact and a checklist for useful comments.
Power reserve and civil-plan evidence added
Expanded the power plan with the 400 MW battery resource, 3,000 MW resource portfolio, 15-year customer contract, estimated Shared System Charge credits and cost-allocation safeguards. Added a separate Land & Water review of the submitted October 2025 SBN520 mass-grading plans.
Homepage reframed around the full Amazon data center project
Renamed the site Facts Over Fear: Hobart Data Center and moved the Lebanon comparison into a secondary case-study role. The homepage now leads with the air application, utility pathway, generators, regulations and public-source library.
Initial evidence-site review prepared
Added the Amazon-submitted application, core generator totals, federal runtime explanation, IURC orders, MISO project record, Lebanon comparison, source library and future IDEM document slots.
Help keep the record current
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