At a community meeting last week, a handful of neighbors questioned why the state doesn’t provide stricter environmental oversight of Ingredion.
Ingredion, an Illinois-based specialty starch manufacturer, has operated a factory just southwest of downtown for more than 20 years. Neighbors have been complaining about the air quality for just about as long.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management held the meeting in May as part of the state’s review of the manufacturer’s five-year operating permit. It was also the community’s first chance to publicly discuss Ingredion’s future in the West Indianapolis neighborhood after the company’s February announcement that it would spend $100 million to expand and modernize its facility.
But state regulators said it’s too late for residents to get a say in the expansion because the comment period expired in February and there wasn’t enough public interest to warrant holding a meeting at the time. That left residents, many of whom live in the Old Southside, frustrated that their concerns wouldn’t be taken seriously.
“We don’t know what the violations are for this business,” said Cameron Perisutti, director at-large for the Fountain Square Neighborhood Association. “This is not good oversight, guys. So we don’t know what the violations are. Can everyone hear that right now? This is really inappropriate.”
There are 13 alleged violations against Ingredion, which uses corn to produce specialty starches that are found in food, beauty and pharmaceutical products. During the meeting, officials with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said the pending violations won’t be a deciding factor in the permit application process unless the enforcement agency deems it necessary.
A 2023 lawsuit claimed that Ingredion violated the federal Clean Air Act by emitting too much particulate matter, such as soot and dust, as well as some particles that can’t be seen by the naked eye. These contaminants can lead to health problems such as aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeats and decreased lung function, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The starch company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.1 million and install $7 million worth of upgrades at the Indianapolis facility.
At the meeting, state Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, said the settlement amount is a drop in the bucket for a company of that size. That, she said, calls into question how well the manufacturer will be held accountable in the future.
“We have to make sure that the folks here today are being heard, (and can breathe clean air),” Hunley said in between coughs. “I live in this area too. The people who call this place home, the kids growing up here, (we have to make sure) that we are not at an increased risk to develop health conditions because of corporate irresponsibility that’s being enabled by the state.”
Company officials did not attend the public meeting. Ingredion officials previously told Mirror Indy that the project would help reduce emissions.
Why isn’t the state doing more?
During the meeting, several community members asked the Indiana Department of Environmental Management how it could consider renewing Ingredion’s permit given the company’s history. But agency officials said they can’t consider previous incidents when deciding whether to renew an operating permit.
Jenny Acker, chief of the state’s air quality permits branch, said the department can only base decisions on the manufacturer’s current compliance with regulations.
“Our job is to evaluate what they want their expansion (to be), evaluate what they submitted (and) evaluate the calculations,” Acker said. “(Then we) compare what they’re proposing against the Clean Air Act (and) all state and federal requirements.”
Acker said compliance with air quality standards in the area is one of the things they review and that some particulate matter isn’t flagged unless it’s hazardous.
But that didn’t ease the crowd’s concerns. Many pointed to the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of Air report, which shows that the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie metro area had worse air quality than the previous year.
Nathaniel Scroggins, a local resident who said he’s spent a decade working as a manufacturing consultant, said Ingredion is one of his former customers. He’s concerned the starch company will only meet the bare minimum environmental requirements needed to be in compliance, rather than going the extra mile to prevent health concerns in the community.
“This is BS, sorry,” Scroggins said during the public comment period. “This is more of a forum for us to bitch for a little bit. You’re not going to do anything, we can’t do anything, what’s the point?”
Next steps
Community members can review lngredion’s permit application online.
Then the state agency will create an addendum to the technical source document, which will include all written public comments and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s responses to those statements. Acker will make a final decision in roughly a month. If needed, the department will send a document that lists changes Ingredion needs to make in order to be in compliance.
Once that is approved, state regulators will submit the permit application to the EPA, which will also include written public comments. If needed, the EPA will work with Ingredion and the state to address any concerns. Then a new permit will be issued.
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Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on Facebook at Elizabeth Gabriel, Southside Reporter and on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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