[Roger Kaputnik]

Who has spoken in favor of this dumping? Anyone? How did His Governorship defend it?


Check out the ammonia effect link. Remember that ammonia is getting dumped on all the farmland around here and washing out into the streams and lakes, too.

I am gonna get a petition and spread the word.

[mcstumper]

How did His Governorship defend it?

I am getting the feeling that those involved in approving the permit thought that it would slip through with no fanfare.

[Southsider2k12]

I am getting the feeling that those involved in approving the permit thought that it would slip through with no fanfare.

I'll bet that is 100% correct...

Anyways, I found this post on the ND's soundoff section, and thought it was worth sharing.

BP Dumping SludgeWhat's all the fuss about?
Even a bird has enough common sense not to mess in it's own nest... Here are a few facts you forgot to mention: If you actually bother to read the Clean Water Act (CWA) you will find that it has as its Goals and Policy the restoration and maintenance of chemical, physical and biological integrity of our Nation's waters. And that it's first Goal states that; "it is the national goal that the discharge of pollutants into the navigable waters be eliminated by 1985." Humm, isn't it funny that we seem to never discuss that Goal any more... I guess we are too busy increasing discharges. Lake Michigan has the second highest levels of contamination in Great Lakes fish. Lake Huron is first. I find the fact that we have contaminated fish and advisories on "safe" consumption of fish outrageous. Eating fish is suppose to be good for you not bad for you and your children's long-term health! Oh, by the way, the second Goal in the CWA has; "an interim goal of water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish. shellfish, and wildlife..." Most native species of fish can no longer naturally reproduce in the southern end of Lake Michigan so we have to stock them to keep sport fish populations up... The cause is thought to be from man-made air contaminates found in precipitation falling within the drainage basin of the southern end of Lake Michigan. One exception being the non-native invasive species we have allowed to escape and biologically pollute the Great Lakes. The fact is; that what became the CWA was first passed in 1972 and we haven't even come close to meeting it's Policies or first two Goals in 2007. BP's financial performance has never been better, thanks to sky- high oil prices. The company earned a record $7.27 billion in its second quarter, 30 percent more than a year earlier, and had net profit of $12.9 billion in the first half of 2006. And what is BP doing with these record profits? Certainly not attempting to reach the first two Goals of the CWA even though better technology and methods exist to eliminate and/or treat their wastes... In fact. BP has been on the annual list of the "worst corporate citizens"as published by Multinational Monitor twice! In 2000 BP/Amoco made the list because of: a $500,000 criminal fine for failing to report the illegal disposal of hazardous waste on Alaska's North Slope, paid $6.5 million in civil penalties to resolve allegations that the company illegally disposed of hazardous waste and violated federal drinking water laws, agreed to pay $32 million to resolve claims that it underpaid royalties due for oil produced on federal and Indian lands since 1988, and agreed to pay $10 million to settle a Clean Air Act case... In 2006 BP made the list because of a March 2006, a leak in the Alaska pipeline that BP maintains led to the second biggest oil spill in Alaskan history. Then, in August 2006, BP was forced to shut down the pipeline because of massive corrosion problems the company had permitted to fester... BP slogan is "Beyond Petroleum" it portrays itself as a "green" company... Well it's time BP put it's money where it's mouth is and get Beyond it's Pollution as a responsible corporate citizen of our world now. Larry Davis 268 South, 600 West Hebron, IN 46341 (219) 988-4843 < lad@netnitco.net >

[JHeath]

http://heraldargus.com/hanews/archives/ha/...y.php?id=382260

Posted Online: 7-24-2007
BP dumping divides Morris, Oberlie
Comment on this story

Erin Blasko, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13894, eblasko@heraldargus.com


La Porte mayor hesitant to support petition drive

MICHIGAN CITY -- One name not likely to appear on Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie’s petition opposing the decision to allow BP to dump additional waste into Lake Michigan is La Porte Mayor Leigh Morris’s.

Morris told The La Porte County Herald-Argus this morning that while he had received from Oberlie’s office Monday the announcement of the petition drive, he’s hesitant to support it.

“It appears the proper procedures have been followed,” Morris said in regard to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) decision to grant BP a permit to dump additional waste at its Whiting facility. “It does not violate public policy.”

Morris said that, to his knowledge, current public policy does not prohibit additional dumping of waste into the lake, and that the widespread perception that it does is misinformation that’s been spread by environmental groups and certain government officials -- especially one.

“I think there’s been a lot of misinformation out there spread by (Chicago) Mayor (Richard) Daley,” he said.

The real debate, he said, is not whether IDEM’s decision was right or wrong -- the agency was clearly within legal bounds to grant BP an exemption, he said -- but whether public policy should be changed.

Oberlie, however, said that IDEM’s decision to allow additional dumping by BP goes against the Great Lakes Initiative, an agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Great Lakes states to restore the Great Lakes and “stop using them as sewers.”

Oberlie described Lake Michigan as the region’s “lifeblood,” and also a major economic engine for Michigan City.

“Without the lake,” Oberlie told The Herald-Argus today, “we’re just the same as any other small town.”

Oberlie’s petition, which mirrors one that’s been circulating in Chicago, urges Gov. Mitch Daniels, the EPA and BP North America to “reconsider the decision to move forward with an expansion at the Whiting refinery without first ensuring that proper controls are in place to prevent any increase in pollution discharge into the Great Lakes from the expanded facility.”

Oberlie launched the petition drive in response to IDEM’s decision last week to grant an exemption to BP to dump an additional 556 pounds of ammonia and 1,277 pounds of suspended soils into Lake Michigan once an expansion of its Whiting refinery is completed in 2011.

The petition can be downloaded from the city’s Web site (www.emichigancity.com) or picked up at Michigan City city hall. Oberlie said he also plans to send volunteers out to collect signatures at local beaches, possibly as soon as this weekend.

Signed petitions can be returned directly to city hall or faxed to 219-873-1515.

Ideally, said Oberlie, the petition will encourage BP to invest in refinery improvements that result in zero discharge into Lake Michigan.

His fear, however, is that the petition will be “ignored by the corporate process.”

“We need to end discharges,” he said, “not add new ones.”

[Ang]

LaPorte has their own lakes, they don't need to concern themselves with Lake Michigan. Chicken.

My question is this: Does British Petroleum dump waste all over England? Or is it just the United States they want to trash?

[Roger Kaputnik]

Did you see the letter by Pat Frankinburger in the ND today? The response received from the Gov. is outlined.

[Southsider2k12]

Its almost the exact same response as the BP response....

[Roger Kaputnik]

He went from being Bush's bitch to BP's...Indiana has no recall system in its constitution.

[Southsider2k12]

http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/local_story_206141025.html

Congress Blasts BP Expansion Plan, Dumping
Local Lawmakers Divided Over Issue

Pamela Jones
Reporting

(CBS) GARY, Ind. Congress is applying more pressure on oil company giant BP to drop a refinery expansion plan that would add more pollution to Lake Michigan.

The House approved a resolution Wednesday sponsored by Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) that expresses disapproval of the plan for the refinery in Whiting, Indiana.

The vote was 387-26 in favor.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management had issued a permit allowing BP to increase its daily dumping of ammonia and sludge into Lake Michigan.

Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said the permit stands as is.

Meanwhile, CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones reports local lawmakers are giving the plan mixed reviews.

“They simply want to do the right thing, they just were ignorant of the fact that we didn't want sewage dumped in our lake,” Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie said.

Oberlie is copying a petition originated in Chicago to get local residents on board to stop an increase in dumping.
But not everyone agrees with the move.

"My name won't go on it,” LaPorte Mayor Leigh Morris said.

He said people standing against BP might do more by trying to change the policy which legalized BP's special permit because BP is only following the rules.

"So when I began hearing the outcry I began to wonder what's happening here. Did somebody screw up? But the more research I've been able to do, the more I've come to the conclusion that we have a lot of misinformation that's being spread,” Morris said.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels agrees saying BP's expansion project with some 2,000 promised jobs is crucial. "I don’t think it should be held up without a good scientific reason and none has been provided," Daniels said.

In Gary, another city right on the lake, Councilmember Marilyn Krusas is leading an effort to draft the Gary Council's own resolution opposing the BP water pollution permit and asking for it to be revoked.

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) issued a statement on the matter, saying, "BP’s willingness to discuss feasible alternatives is welcome news. With the technological resources we have available to us today, economic progress and environmental protection can and should go hand-in-hand. The BP Whiting refinery has been an integral part of the local, state and national economy for decades. Its future is important to the continued economic growth of the area and vital to our nation’s energy independence and our ability to secure our nation’s oil supply. However, that doesn’t have to come at the cost of our environmental resources. I’m hopeful that this commitment on the part of BP will mean we can find a resolution that strengthens our economy and maintains the integrity of our air and drinking water, along with the health of Lake Michigan."

U.S. Senator Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) said in a statement he supports the resolution voted on in Washington. "Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes grow more valuable each day, and in order to maintain and improve this important natural and global resource, it is crucial to reduce the level of pollution being discharged into them. "

In response to the vote in Washington and recent reports on the issue, a BP spokesperson said their plans for environmental treatment are the best they could come up with at the time.

Members of Illinois' congressional delegation, led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Emanuel, met on Tuesday with BP officials, who agreed to look at alternatives to the increased dumping.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[JHeath]

Dan Sajkowski, BP Whiting Refinery business unit leader, in a statement, said the discharged is fine particles that aren't filtered out in the plant's water treatment system. He disputed news reports saying the company discharged "sludge."

"That is not true. The refinery does not and will not discharge sludge into the lake. The refinery discharges only treated water into the lake. Treated wastewater is more than 99.999 percent water. The remainder is salt, nutrients, organics and inorganics that are not dissolved in water ... All wastewater sludges are treated separately, according to state and federal requirements, and never discharged to Lake Michigan," Sajkowski said.

Regarding ammonia, the new permit allows the refinery's average ammonia discharge to increase from 1,030 pounds per day to 1,584 pounds per day.

However, Sajkowski said, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines could allow as much as 3,358 pounds per day, more than double the refinery's newly permitted ammonia discharge limit.

"Also, it is important to remember that these permit numbers are maximum limits; on a daily average basis, actual discharges by the Whiting Refinery are substantially less."

Hypocrisy at it's best...
With one breath, he tells us they only discharge "treated wastewater"...in the next, voila!, it magically includes ammonia.

[Ang]

Hey guys! I haven't had a chance to do much work on the letter. We're in the midst of some wicked storms (with tornados!! We hardly ever have tornados here!) and my cable and internet were down last night (try to entertain a 9 year old with no cable or internet!). So, I don't think I'm going to have the letter ready by tomorrow. BUT, I will work on it for sure over the weekend and have it posted by Monday morning. Sorry bout that.

[Roger Kaputnik]

In other words, just because one can pollute, one may pollute. That is LP Mayor Leigh's view. Why don't we pipe the stuff to Pine Lake? Those condos are wrecking the place anyway!

[Southsider2k12]

Another surprise from My Man Mitch... Mercury for everyone!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/new...,0,660106.story

By Michael Hawthorne | Tribune staff reporter
July 27, 2007
Article Tools
E-mail Print Single page view Reprints text size: Although the federal government ordered states more than a decade ago to dramatically limit mercury discharges into the Great Lakes, the BP refinery in northwest Indiana will be allowed to continue pouring small amounts of the toxic metal into Lake Michigan for at least another five years.

A little-noticed exemption in BP's controversial new state water permit gives the oil company until 2012 to meet strict federal limits on mercury discharges. In documents, Indiana regulators predict the refinery won't be able to comply and will ask to continue polluting after that date.

Federal records analyzed by the Tribune show BP puts 2 pounds of mercury into the lake every year from its sprawling plant 3 miles southeast of Chicago in Whiting, Ind. That amount is small compared with the mercury that falls into the water from air pollution, but mercury builds up in the environment and is so toxic that even tiny drops can threaten fish and people.

The BP refinery and a power plant in nearby Chesterton, Ind., are the only two industrial polluters that still dump mercury directly into Lake Michigan, federal records show. Under standards adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1995, BP's annual discharge of the metal should be reduced to 8/100th of a pound.

BP already is drawing fierce opposition to its plans to dump significantly more ammonia and suspended solids into Lake Michigan. Although the amounts are still below federal water quality guidelines, BP's new permit marks the first time in years that a company has been allowed to increase the amount of pollution pumped into the lake, a magnet for sport fishing and the source of drinking water for Chicago and scores of other communities.

"With one permit, this company and this state are undoing years of work to keep pollution out of our Great Lakes," said U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), co-sponsor of a resolution overwhelmingly approved by the House this week that condemned BP's plans. "Nothing surprises me at this point about what Indiana is allowing them to do."

Company officials and Indiana regulators contend the refinery's wastewater poses no threat to people or aquatic life. They also say they did everything they could to keep more pollution out of the lake.

In an e-mail response to questions, BP said Thursday that it doubts any industrial polluter or municipal sewage treatment plant can meet the stringent federal limit of 1.3 parts mercury per trillion parts water for discharges into the Great Lakes. The company said some of its mercury discharge likely comes from storm runoff and lake water drawn into the refinery.

"BP will work with [Indiana regulators] to minimize mercury in its discharge, including implementation of source controls," the company said in its response.

Other exemptions given

Peter Swenson, chief of the water permits section at the EPA's regional office in Chicago, said some Great Lakes polluters have been granted exemptions to the mercury limits when they renew their permits. But others have been forced to comply immediately, he said, noting that emerging technology can remove the metal from waste water.

A Tribune review of federal records shows that the waste water the BP refinery pumps into Lake Michigan includes more than a dozen toxic byproducts of oil refining, including benzene, toluene and suspended solids containing mercury, lead, nickel and vanadium.

The refinery is the top industrial source of lead, nickel and ammonia pollution directly released into the lake, according to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. It also is one of only two industrial polluters on the lake that dump acetonitrile, a chemical that metabolizes in the environment to cyanide.

If BP were to meet the federal mercury standard for the Great Lakes, it would take the refinery 25 years to put the same amount of the toxic metal into Lake Michigan that it does now in one year.

BP sought a new water permit to accommodate an expansion project that will enable the refinery to process more heavy Canadian crude oil, which is considered a more dependable source than supplies in the Middle East.

When Indiana regulators last month allowed the company to increase its pollution, they justified the move in part by noting the project will create 80 new jobs.

Little effect cited

The "waste-water permit for BP's Whiting refinery fully complies with the federal Clean Water Act and assures the full protection of Lake Michigan," Thomas Easterly, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, said in a prepared statement. "The permitted levels will not affect drinking water, recreation or aquatic life."

In documents filed with the permit, though, the agency noted that levels of mercury and lead detected in the refinery's waste water "show a reasonable potential" to violate water quality standards.

Mercury concerns environmental regulators because of its staying power in the environment. The metal accumulates as it moves up the food chain from bacteria to fish to people.

All of the states on the Great Lakes advise people to limit eating certain types of fish because of high levels of mercury contamination. Consuming even small amounts of mercury can damage the developing brain and nervous system of infants and young children.

Prodded by Congress, the EPA moved during the 1990s to virtually eliminate direct mercury discharges into the lakes. "The risks posed to human health and to the Great Lakes themselves by these toxic pollutants are simply too high to ignore," then-EPA Administrator Carol Browner said in 1999.

Air pollution remains the greatest source of manmade mercury in the lakes. A recent federal study estimated that 880 pounds of the metal drop into Lake Michigan every year, mostly from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants along and near the shore.

Mercury discharged directly into the lake by BP's refinery is a mere fraction of that amount. But a growing chorus of critics, including Mayor Richard Daley, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and members of Congress, argue that BP's new state permit sets a bad precedent that threatens to reverse more than three decades of slow but steady progress cleaning up the lake.

"We determined a long time ago that Lake Michigan is a very special resource that deserves added protection," said Dale Bryson, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes and former chief of the EPA's regional water office. "This isn't harmless stuff. By now they should have figured out what to do about it."

- - -

IN THE WEB EDITION

Learn more about the dangers of mercury in the environment from the Tribune investigation "The Mercury Menace" at chicagotribune.com/bp

----------

mhawthorne@tribune.com

[Roger Kaputnik]

What a bunch of idiots. They epitomize the worst this country has to offer.

[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=382709

Editorial: Keep up the pressure on BP dumping
Comment on this story


Two weeks ago this space carried an editorial strongly opposing the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s permit to the Whiting BP plant to increase the amount of pollution it dumps into Lake Michigan.

Since then the number of voices protesting this move has grown, and that’s encouraging.

Among public officials taking the stand are State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Meanwhile, BP continues to defend itself by pointing out that it still meets Environmental Protection Agency and IDEM standards -- as if that excuses pouring more pollutants into the Great Lake.

BP adopted a new symbol some years back -- sort of a green and yellow sun -- and began touting its alleged commitment to preserving the environment. Those ads are still running. Ludicrous, considering the circumstances.

The reason we are revisiting this issue today is to encourage you, the citizens, to get involved. Although it’s good news that some elected officials have taken up the cause, that also raises the possibility that the BP situation could become a political football. Already it’s evident that the politicians speaking out against BP are largely Democrats and those who feel no action is needed are mainly Republicans.

Don’t let officeholders carry the ball alone on this one. The best way to impress upon IDEM and Gov. Mitch Daniels that this is an issue that angers and concerns all citizens is to make yourselves heard. Keep writing letters to the editor. Write to the IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management, 100 N. Senate Ave., Mail Code 50-01, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251) and Daniels (Statehouse Room 206, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204, or e-mail him at Web site www.in.gov.) Start your own petition drive.

Let the officials downstate know that BP’s increased dumping is not acceptable.

As U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago said, “When it comes to Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes, this is our Yellowstone Park and this is our Grand Canyon.”

[Roger Kaputnik]

Amen, amen.

[Ang]

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't got that letter out. I'm in a quandry over it. I don't know where to begin or to whom I should write it. Plus, there is so much to say on the subject I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts.
My apologies.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...;ArticleID=2804

EPA Won't Stop BP Refinery Wastewater Permit

The Associated Press

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not stop a permit that allows a BP refinery in Indiana to dump more pollution into Lake Michigan because it complies fully with the Clean Water Act, the agency's chief says.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said Tuesday he saw nothing wrong with the permit Indiana regulators awarded in June to BP, the first company in years allowed to increase the amount of toxic chemicals pumped into the Great Lakes.

Although the federal government has been pushing for more than three decades to eliminate pollution in the Great Lakes, the EPA did not object to the BP permit.

Johnson told The Chicago Tribune in a brief interview Tuesday after a speech at the Chicago Cultural Center that the agency is trying to "work collaboratively" with BP and other companies to improve the condition of the Great Lakes.

"In this case, it's my understanding that Indiana issued a permit that is fully compliant with the Clean Water Act. As an agency we need to honor that permit," he said.

BP, one of the largest polluters of the Great Lakes, won permission from state regulators in June for its Whiting refinery to discharge into the lake 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more suspended solids _ silty materials left after wastewater is treated and filtered.

BP needed the permit to move ahead with a $3.8 billion refinery expansion to process more heavy Canadian crude oil at the refinery, which is the nation's fourth largest. The permit gives BP until 2012 to meet a stringent standard for mercury pollution set by the EPA in 1995.

In recent years, the EPA has repeatedly stated a goal of "virtually eliminating" pollution in the Great Lakes.

Asked how the BP permit squares with that goal, Johnson noted the agency spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year cleaning up polluted sites around the lakes.

Last week, the House of Representatives voted 387-26 to approve a resolution urging Indiana to reconsider the permit.

A coalition of lawmakers implored Johnson last week to put the permit on hold while BP considers additional upgrades. They question why the EPA is allowing BP to increase the amount of pollution it puts into the lake even as the agency addresses years of past contamination.

And they demanded to know why EPA officials signed off on the permit when the Clean Water Act prohibits any decline in water quality, even when limits on pollution discharges are met.

"The administrator's comments aren't surprising, but they are unacceptable," said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., one of the lawmakers threatening to punish BP in pending legislation unless the company finds a way to reduce pollution from its refinery.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican and former Bush administration official, has defended the permit, saying it was in compliance with state law.

And Tom Easterly, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management commissioner, said the permit imposes even tougher requirements than federal law because Indiana has designated the lake an outstanding state resource deserving special protection.

Meanwhile, a public hearing on a request by BP for a variance on airborne emissions at its refinery in Whiting was postponed because state officials were concerned people would confuse it with BP's new wastewater permit.

"We saw the potential for there to be confusion about the hearing," IDEM spokeswoman Amy Hartsock said Wednesday. "There was that possibility that folks might attend thinking it's about the wastewater permit and it's not."

Hartsock said the postponed hearing on air quality at the refinery, which has not been rescheduled, has nothing to do with the refinery expansion.

[Southsider2k12]

It seems like Daniels is about the only guy who supports this...

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=55292.61

Michigan Officials Blast BP Plan
Berrien County Commissioners draft resolution for blocking increase of discharge.

Scott Aiken
For The News-Dispatch

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. - Berrien County, Mich., Commissioners want an Indiana oil company to back off a plan to increase the volume of toxic pollutants it dumps into Lake Michigan.

The county board is drafting an advisory resolution urging regulators to block British Petroleum's plan to increase the discharge of ammonia and sludge at its refinery in Whiting, Ind.

BP has received a permit from Indiana allowing the increases as part of a $3.8 billion refinery expansion. The energy giant reported profits of $6.09 billion for the three months ended June 30.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said this week the proposed dumping complies with the federal Clean Water Act and the permit should be honored. BP claims it does not have room at its 1,400-acre refinery to expand its wastewater treatment plant.

Johnson was apparently not swayed by a U.S. House of Representatives vote of 387-26 last week to approve a resolution urging Indiana to reconsider its permit.

Berrien County commissioners have added their voices to a chorus protesting the plan. BP would be the firstcompany in years allowed to boost its discharge of chemicals into the lake.

Commissioner John LaMore of Niles Township said Lake Michigan and the other four Great Lakes are the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. "And we're going to treat them like a toilet?"

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, voted in favor of the House resolution and described the plan by BP to increase dumping by hundreds of pounds of toxic materials a day as "wholly unacceptable."

House members have questioned why the EPA has signed off on the permit when the Clean Water Act prohibits any decline in water quality, even when the discharges are under limits. The act prohibits downgrading water quality near an existing pollution site, officials said.

The permit issued by Indiana for the expansion would allow BP a 54 percent increase in daily ammonia discharge, from 1,054 pounds to 1,584. The discharge of solids left in the water after treatment would increase from 3,646 pounds daily to 4,925 pounds, or 35 percent.

Although pollution may increase, the wastewater flow from the refinery into Lake Michigan will remain about 21 million gallons a day. BP was granted the permit to allow the company with an expansion to process more Canadian heavy crude oil.

Upton said the pressure being applied by Congress is not going to go away.

"I don't want to make Lake Michigan the Baltic Sea," he said.

A proposed amendment to a major energy bill would eliminate any tax breaks for companies that increase emissions into the Great Lakes. "If this amendment passes, I believe it will force BP to take a second look," Upton said.

Northwest Indiana has made "enormous progress" in improving environmental quality over the past 40 years, Upton said, and allowing more pollution in Lake Michigan would not be a step forward.

The House of Representatives delegations from states bordering Lake Michigan voted to support last week's resolution. The Michigan delegation voted 15-0 in favor, Illinois representatives supported it 18-0; Indiana, 4-4; and Wisconsin, 7-0.

Scott Aiken is a reporter for the Herald-Palladium in St. Joseph, Mich.

[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=383112

Resolution would urge BP to reconsider dumping pollutants in Lake Michigan
Comment on this story

Scot Squires, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13869, ssquires@heraldargus.com




MICHIGAN CITY -- Members of the Michigan City Council may join a growing chorus of public officials speaking out against BP’s plan to discharge more pollutants into Lake Michigan from its Whiting refinery.

Council member Patricia Boy is expected to introduce a resolution against the dumping during the city council meeting at 7:30 p.m. today. In her three-page resolution, Boy says the Great Lakes “provide drinking water for more than 40 million people throughout the Great Lakes basin, including Michigan City residents.”

Also, she says, “The Great Lakes support recreational, commercial, tourism and cultural activities for residents and visitors, including recreational boating and a $5 billion sport fishing industry.”

Boy points out that Michigan City has gone to great lengths to meet or exceed government standards for its wastewater to minimize polluting the lake. Her resolution says the city must “take action to urge BP Amoco to join us in these critical efforts to reduce pollution in Lake Michigan, rather than adding pollution to the lake.”

Speaking to The La Porte County Herald-Argus Monday, Boy said the goal of the non-binding resolution is to get the message across to BP.

“The fact they want to increase it (pollution) is what bothers me,” she said. “You can’t just dump everything in the lake anymore.”

Although officials from BP, IDEM and the EPA all say the proposed dumping complies with the federal Clean Water Act, Boy remains optimistic that the majority of council members will agree with her.

“My guess is it will probably pass, but there may be amendments to it,” said Boy, who has received numerous calls, letters and e-mails from citizens upset with the planned dumping.

BP received a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to dump an additional 500 pounds of ammonia and 1,200 pounds of suspended solids into the lake each day.

If passed in its current form, Boy’s resolution will be sent to state and federal lawmakers, IDEM, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and BP officials.