When a small Indiana congregation discovered that their church sat on land contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons, likely caused by migration from a now defunct neighboring gas station, Ice Miller stepped in to help. State regulators informed the church that they would either need to abandon their church home or pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to mitigate the contamination. For this tight knit community, paying such a large sum was unthinkable. Losing their spiritual home was even harder to imagine.

Representing the congregation pro bono, Ice Miller’s Environmental team immediately recognized that something didn’t add up—it didn’t make sense for a small church to shoulder the burden of environmental damage created by someone else. The team began working closely with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), through the Indiana Brownfields Program, advocating on behalf of the congregation and to ensure their story was heard and understood.

With the firm’s continued involvement, advocacy, and guidance, the Indiana Brownfields Program was able to secure grant funding to cover the remediation efforts at the church. With that support in place, the church was able to remain in its building throughout the cleanup. Ice Miller has continued working alongside the congregation’s leadership at every step—answering questions, reviewing developments, and helping them navigate an unfamiliar and stressful process.

Today, the remediation is underway, the congregation is still worshipping in their beloved church, and this small community can continue to gather, grow, and serve, all without the fear of losing their home.

Ice Miller is honored to have been able to assist this vital community anchor in their moment of need. The pro bono team was led by partner Angela Krahulik and associate Lauren Baldwin.