Public voices concerns as Amazon seeks permit to impact wetlands in New Carlisle

NEW CARLISLE, Ind. -- Residents and environmental advocates urged the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on Wednesday to deny Amazon's request to permanently impact nearly 5 acres of wetlands at its New Carlisle data center site, arguing the company should not receive approval after previously violating state environmental regulations.

IDEM held a virtual public hearing on Amazon's application to permanently impact 4.88 acres of emergent wetlands, 0.06 acres of scrub-shrub wetlands and 3,986 linear feet of streams to allow construction of the project to continue.

The hearing was limited to public comment, and agency officials did not respond to questions, saying comments would be considered before a final decision is made.

The permit request comes after IDEM issued Amazon a notice of noncompliance in 2025, alleging the company impacted wetlands without the required authorization.

According to the agency, work performed by Amazon's contractor inadvertently impacted nearly an acre of wetlands during construction in the summer of 2024.

Several speakers said Indiana has already lost a significant portion of its historic wetlands and warned that additional destruction would have lasting environmental consequences.

According to the Hoosier Environmental Council, about 90% of Indiana's original wetlands have been lost.

Brian Will, co-chair of the Citizens' Climate Lobby's South Bend-Elkhart chapter, shared an account of seeing an eastern box turtle attempting to cross a road near Granger, saying the species depends on both woodlands and wetlands as habitat.

"I understand that these turtles are favorable to woodlands but also to wetlands,” Will said. “And their habitat is disappearing.”

Beyond providing habitat for wildlife, wetlands aid in purifying water and reducing flooding.

As part of its application, Amazon has proposed restoring several acres of wetlands after construction to offset the impacts.

Still, opponents argued mitigation should not excuse previous unauthorized damage.

"We ask IDEM to hold firm. You do not reward unauthorized wetland destruction with a permit," said Ashley Williams, executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana.

The public comment period on Amazon's permit application remains open through July 17. IDEM officials said they will consider the submitted comments before making a final decision on the permit request.