leap district

After buying thousands of acres in Boone County to home a contentious technology park, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. quietly listed two purchases for sale one month ago.

House lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday that aims to address concerns over large water transfers like those planned to serve the controversial LEAP industrial district in Lebanon.

Indiana has poured almost $1 billion into a contentious technology park with few tenants and a mystery budget, reporters with the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and the Indiana Capital Chronicle have found.

Indiana Economic Development Corporation Senior Vice Presidents Brock Herr, left, and Mark Wasky testify before the State Budget Committee on Dec. 17, 2024.

This latest expansion brings Lilly’s totaled pledge investment at the site to more than $13 billion and potentially 1,300 jobs.

Delegates discussed issues including water rights, property taxes, renewable energy, land use, and rural broadband.

The new money had previously been earmarked for the IEDC to lure an advanced manufacturing company to the state. But that project is stalled, prompting the shift to the LEAP district in Boone County.

The IFA — tasked with analyzing water demand supply — will now include every county that touches the headwaters of the Wabash River for a total of 28 counties.

A new report comes amid growing skepticism of water pipeline plan.

Other GOP contenders shared similar concerns, while some defended the controversial project as a wise economic move.