Holcomb on LEAP water pipeline: ‘Won’t rob Peter to pay Paul’

From Japan trip, governor talks auto plants and growing angst over taking water from Tippecanoe Co. to feed LEAP. Plus, a plea from Purdue faculty leader on diversity on campus, in the state

• Today’s Based in Lafayette is sponsored by Wabash Center. Celebrate their mission to help people with disabilities and special needs live their best lives at Wines on the Wabash, where the organization will mark 70 years of service in Greater Lafayette. Make your reservations for Friday, Sept. 15, and learn more at www.WabashCenter.com.

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HOLCOMB ON LEAP WATER PIPELINE: ‘WON’T ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL’

Checking in Tuesday night, midway through a weeklong economic development trip to Japan, Gov. Eric Holcomb said he didn’t anticipate touching down Friday in Indiana ready to announce new business or business expansion.

“But I'm pretty confident there will be some good news to share later,” Holcomb said.

He said the trip has been about, in part, nurturing relationships, including with the three Japanese automakers in Indiana. That includes Subaru, which has more than 6,500 employees making Outback, Ascent, Legacy and Crosstrek models at its Lafayette plant along Indiana 38.

Gov. Eric Holcomb, checking in from Japan.

“When you think about what is to come – what will the industry look like 10 years from now, you know, in 2030, 2035, 2050? – they all have plans on where they want their business to be,” Holcomb said about visits in the past week with Subaru, Honda and Toyota officials. “They may all have different timelines, different plans, portfolios, lines. But we want to make sure that they know that we pledge to be just as supportive in the future as they make big decisions, as we have been in the past.”

He said the trip also has been about making sure “that everyone that we meet with is up to date on Indiana’s story.”

How much of selling Indiana’s story, in this case, has revolved around the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s plans for the sort of mega-developments that can fit in the 9,000-acre LEAP District near Lebanon? And how was he managing the increasing restlessness and skepticism in Greater Lafayette about an IEDC study into pumping up to 100 million gallons of water a day from a Wabash River aquifer in Tippecanoe County to feed a pipeline to the LEAP development?