BP means 'bad pollution' for the Great Lakes

[marmar]

from Grist Magazine's Gristmill blog:


BP means 'bad pollution' for the Great Lakes
Posted by Jon Rynn at 8:07 AM on 20 Jul 2007

In an effort to keep expanding the flow of oil, companies such as BP have been trying to extract oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, which is like trying to drink coffee after you've dumped it into sand. The process is so energy-intensive that there is talk of putting the world's largest nuclear power plant on top of the tar sands in order to heat them up enough to use them, and lakes of toxic water have been created there.

And where will that goop go to get processed? BP has decided that it would like to process much of it on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, at its huge refinery, and they have been given a waiver by Indiana and the U.S. EPA to expand their pollution dumping, according to the Chicago Tribune:

The massive BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., is planning to dump significantly more ammonia and industrial sludge into Lake Michigan, running counter to years of efforts to clean up the Great Lakes.

Indiana regulators exempted BP from state environmental laws to clear the way for a $3.8 billion expansion that will allow the company to refine heavier Canadian crude oil. They justified the move in part by noting the project will create 80 new jobs.

Under BP's new state water permit, the refinery -- already one of the largest polluters along the Great Lakes -- can release 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more sludge into Lake Michigan each day. Ammonia promotes algae blooms that can kill fish, while sludge is full of concentrated heavy metals.

What a way to create 80 jobs! ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/7/19/11408/1307

[OlderButWiser]

1. I'm confused by....

...the inclusion of 'Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan' at the start of your thread. Then I went to the link and see it's the title to a picture that they included. And I'm still confused. Those dunes are a long way from Indiana.

[marmar]

2. I must've included part of the photo caption by mistake....

I didn't write the piece, it's the Gristmill blogger, but I would assume they included the picture because of the impact of this BP project will extend throughout the Lake Michigan region, not just Indiana.

[Jack Bone]

3. Yes...it's a dreadful thing...

But what can you expect w/ Former Bush Budget Director Mitch Daniels as our Governor?

if you are as outraged as I am...maybe you can send a message to our new 2nd Cong. District Congressman, Joe Donnelly.

here's his website..

http://donnelly.house.gov/index.shtml