The Chicago Tribune reports that the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana has received a break from state environmental laws, allowing it to increase the amount of ammonia and sludge released into Lake Michigan. That's 54% more ammonia and 35% more sludge per day. Why are they being released from state laws?
The refinery is preparing a $3.8 billion expansion to allow processing of heavy Canadian crude oil. This would include current oil production as well as crude obtained from tar sands extraction. There is a good deal of variability in crude oils from around the world, so a refinery is usually geared to accept only a small subset of crudes to minimize equipment costs. This refinery has been around since the days of Standard Oil, being constructed way back in 1889 (historyhere). This is also estimated to bring 80 additional jobs into the plant.
According to the state and federal regulators mentioned in the Tribune's report, the refinery does not have the space to add enough wastewater treatment capacity for the expansion (which likely involving ripping up some old equipment), so state regulations are being relaxed and the refinery will be allowed to emit sludge att federal maximums along with more ammonia. This will bring the refinery's allowance up to 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge to be dumped into Lake Michigan per day. To get around regulations preventing an increase in water pollution around a point source, BP will install some piping around 200 feet offshore to bring in clean water to mix with effluent, thus lowering them back into legality. If you've been to a Florida beach, you've likely experienced the joy of removing tar from your shoes- this is something you can expect more of thanks to the additional sludge dumping. The ammonia will likely be gobbled up by algae blooms, which can suck the oxygen out of the local water resulting in fish kills.
Complaints should be directed towards state and federal environmental agencies with authority in the area as well as legislators.
Indiana Environmental Management Water Permits Branch
Indiana DNR Water Division
E-Mail your questions or comments to us:
water_inquiry@dnr.IN.gov
Mailing address for the Division of Water:
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Water
402 West Washington Street, Room W264
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Legislators and comittees:
Indiana State Legislature (House and Senate)
Indiana's senators in Washington are Richard Lugar (R) and Evan Bayh (D). Representative for the 1st Indiana district is Pete Visclosky (D).
Alliance for the Great Lakes is mentioned in the article, this link is to an effort they are making with a pair of Representative from Illinois to eliminate sewer (residential and industrial) dumping into the Great Lakes as well as QUADRUPLING the fines.
SUDDENLY, BLOCKQUOTES. THOUSANDS OF THEM.
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.
The refinery will still meet federal water pollution guidelines. But federal and state officials acknowledge this marks the first time in years that a company has been allowed to dump more toxic waste into Lake Michigan.
The company will now be allowed to dump an average of 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge into Lake Michigan every day. The additional sludge is the maximum allowed under federal guidelines.
The request to dump more chemicals into the lake ran counter to a provision of the Clean Water Act that prohibits any downgrade in water quality near a pollution source even if discharge limits are met. To get around that rule, state regulators are allowing BP to install equipment that mixes its toxic waste with clean lake water about 200 feet offshore.
Actively diluting pollution this way by creating what is known as a mixing zone is banned in Lake Michigan under Indiana law. Regulators granted BP the first-ever exemption.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been pushing to eliminate mixing zones around the Great Lakes on the grounds that they threaten humans, fish and wildlife. Yet EPA officials did not object to Indiana's decision, agreeing with the state that BP's project would not harm the environment.
All blockquotes directly from the Chicago Tribune article.