Great Lakes In the News

WASHINGTON -- Oil giant BP ran into fierce resistance Tuesday in Congress over its plan to dramatically increase daily discharges of ammonia and other pollutants from its Whiting, Ind., refinery into Lake Michigan.

"This is crazy. This is nuts," U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, said during House debate on a resolution to condemn BP's plan and urge the federal Environmental Protection Agency to stop it.

Miller said the decision by Indiana and federal authorities to permit BP to dump more pollutants into Lake Michigan "marks a huge step backwards in our efforts to keep our Great Lakes clean."

BP spokesman Scott Dean noted that the British company's planned $3.8 billion expansion of its Whiting refinery is needed so it can process more Canadian crude oil, which is in sync with the United States' goal of a secure and ample supply of oil.

Dean said the House debate "shows why it's so hard to modernize or expand refineries, and why a new one hasn't been built for 20 years."

The expansion, targeted for completion in 2011, would increase the refinery's capacity by 15 percent. The BP facility is the fourth-largest oil refinery in the country.

Lawmakers representing the states around the Great Lakes expressed outrage that BP had been given a permit to increase its daily discharges of ammonia by 54 percent and by 35 percent for suspended solids.

They said the new amounts of discharges would mean BP could each day dump 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of suspended solids into Lake Michigan.

In the wake of the House floor debate, BP of America President and Chairman Bob Malone met with Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing., and several House members to listen to their concerns.

After that meeting, Durbin said BP would return Sept. 1 and discuss "feasible alternatives," although he declined to specify what might be acceptable to lawmakers.

"(BP) understands the intensity of the feeling here," Durbin said. "This is not just another body of water that you dump your sewage and waste into. This is the source of drinking water for millions of families."

Said Stabenow: "BP was receptive to our concerns, and we will be monitoring the situation closely to make sure that they take the necessary steps to curb their dumping of ammonia and sludge pollution into Lake Michigan."

Downplaying concerns, BP spokesman Dean said the plan meets state and federal environmental rules and poses no hazards to humans, Lake Michigan or wildlife.

He said the facility uses advanced water treatment technology to remove nearly all pollutants before discharging water into the lake. The facility no longer burns sludge on site but instead ships it to other locations.

But Abby Rubley, field director for Environment Michigan, said that the EPA has designated the water around the plant as an area of concern because of high pollution levels.

"Ammonia and heavy metals are never good for the health of the lakes or humans. There's a reason they are regulated," Rubley said.

You can reach Deb Price at dprice@detnews.com or (202) 662-8736.