BP Factory in Whiting Indiana
I must admit as soon as I saw this opportunity I jumped for it as it pertains very much to the nature of this blog. First off I will start off with a little explanation of what this is about. BP's oil refinery in Indiana has just acquired a new permit that allows it to dump more ammonia into Lake Michigan. They are doing this because BP has decided to invest in Canadian Crude Oil instead of the Middle East. Canadian crude oil is thicker and requires a dirtier refining process than conventional crude oil.
Apparently BP, a company known to be environmentally friendly, is upset about an article written by Chigago Tribune. The claims made in the article that BP disagrees with include the fact that their environmental impacts from ammonia are no where near the federal limits which is stated in the article. Furthermore, they deny dumping sludge into Lake Michigan altogether. 
According to this Fact Sheet Released by BP (in pdf), they have acquired a permit to release more ammonia discharge, however, the amounts being released are less than half of the federal guidelines allow.
The Chicago Tribune article makes the claim that toxic sludge, rich in heavy metals, are being released into Lake Michigan...a pretty serious claim. However, according to BP's factsheet, there is no sludge being released into Lake Michigan at all. In fact BP claims that they only release treated water which is 99.9% water and not sludge.
BP plans to spend more than $3 billion to modernize the Whiting Refinery to process additional heavy crude oil from Canada, a secure and reliable source. This is a smart move in general and helps to alleviate the need for oil from the Middle East.
One thing I will point out is that on the BP Whiting Refinery Fact Sheet, one of the highlighted facts is that they allow "No harm to people or the environment", and then proceed to say that they follow federal regulations. I will have to disagree with the first part of the statement...just because a company follows federal regulations does not mean that it does not harm the environment...no matter how much the amount.
While its obvious that BP is trying to protect its image as an environmentally friendly corporation...it seems to me that it is very difficult to determine who is correct as neither BP nor the Chicago Tribune offer any official documentation to backup their claims. The Chicago Tribune says that sludge is being dumped into Lake Michigan yet lacks proof. BP says that its levels of ammonia discharge are within federal limits yet lacks to provide the specific amount it discharges. Nevertheless, the point of this post is for you the readers to take a look at both sides of the story and decide for yourself.
11 COMMENTS, ADD YOURS HERE:
You have written this well.
You suggested a link exchange at blog catalogue for my site http://anewgreenearth.com and I am off now to add your link. Look forward to having a link on your site, best wishes, The Artist
I've left this comment on another thread; seems like it's needed here too.
I blame the reporters!
Seems like this is what got the ball rolling …
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-pollute_15jul15,1,647384.story?ctrack=3&cset=true
http://www.post-trib.com/news/477904,ussteel.article
http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/07/17/business/business/doc44653d4fca1ccab08625731a0073ac49.txt
http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/07/19/news/top_news/doc58736cb04b3a937b8625731d000fc967.txt
Well, the BP refinery has a web site, did any of the reporters or politicians have a look at it?
http://whiting.bp.com/go/doc/1550/165356/
http://www.arenaofhyip.com/2007/07/bp-whiting-refinery-other-side-of-story.html
yet more news:
http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/07/19/news/top_news/doc58736cb04b3a937b8625731d000fc967.txt
accuracy adjustment needed?
Yeah; it sounds like it to me (see below)
http://chestertontribune.com/Environment/7204%20idem_head_defends_bp_permit_agai.htm
I blame the reporters!
It looks to me like a lot of the initial reporting on this issue used a lot of inflammatory phrasing and downright WRONG information and fed it to the public on a platter. NO context for understanding was provided. Some citizens got alarmed and now the politicians are getting all up in arms and petitions are circulating.
Hey, here’s an idea; why don’t we just go to the permit that IDEM granted and see what it says. It can be found on this page:
http://www.in.gov/idem/permits/water/wastewater/public_notice/#BP
a couple of facts I gleaned from even a perfunctory perusal of the permit –
from page 3 –
(for Discharge Outfall 001)
“[2] The pH of the effluent shall be no less than 6.0 and no greater than 9.0 standard units (s.u.)”
from page 8 –
(for Discharge Outfall 002)
“[2] The pH of the effluent shall be no less than 6.0 and no greater than 9.0 standard units (s.u.)”
In other words, BP is NOT just dumping raw ammonia into the lake (pH of about 14 for ammonium hydroxide solution).
The word “sludge” appears ONCE (that I can find) in the permit document. It is on page 47, to wit –
"4. Removed Substances
Solids, sludges, filter backwash, or other pollutants removed from or resulting from treatment or control of wastewaters shall be disposed of in a manner such as to prevent any pollutant from such materials from entering waters of the State and to be in compliance with all Indiana statutes and regulations relative to liquid and/or solid waste disposal."
(emphasis mine)
REALLY!!! It even says directly in the permit that sludge is NOT permitted to be dumped into the lake. In other words, they weren't permitted to dump any sludge under the old permit, and they certainly were not going to be allowed to dump any more sludge under the new permit. So where did the reporters get the idea that BP WAS going to be allowed to dump MORE sludge into the lake? At best this is a travesty of slipshod reporting. At worst these are deliberate falsehoods in the "best" traditions of yellow journalism.
The article I just saw in this morning’s Daily Herald (Naperville) is now characterizing the material in the permit as “silt” instead of “sludge”. Is this supposed to be an improvement on factual reporting? Get a clue folks. TSS (total suspended solids) in the permit IS NOT SLUDGE. It IS NOT SILT. If you want to get on BP’s case, then do so for bona fide facts and not ridiculous distortions that a simple reading of the document would clarify.
I think the reporters of these initial stories all owe the public an apology for the blatant inaccuracies. I think the politicians should stop trying to slum for cheap political points when they should be providing leadership on understanding public policy decisions.
It certainly seems like you went out of your way to defend BP...not saying I am against them really...however, whether or not they are within the regulations for state and federal...any authorization that allows more pollution to be released into our environment regardless of whether or not it is considered "safe" by some guidelines, is not a good thing at all. Our environment has suffered far too much for too long, and our standard of living will not hold out either. Changes need to be made to help protect the planet. BP's new plant is not helping the problem but contributing to it, regardless of whether they are dumping sludge, silt, or ammonia that has been properly balanced for an acceptable pH level.
I went to the website MWRD.org Chicago Reclamation District and the president calls swhat BP is putting into the lake sludge. This is kind of strange when he runs the same type of facility as BP's and knows or atleast should know what sludge is. Let me say...water treatement plants do not dump sludge in the lake...that is called illegal. If BP is dumping so is every other water treatment facility...look at their data...I did and it opened my eyes.
Also look how the Chicago Reclamation district describes sludge... "Many area golf courses, sod farms, tollway banks and parks are green and fertile because of the rich mixture of sludge and soil. In Fulton County, Illinois, the District is reclaiming 15,000 acres of land which were left barren and ugly from years of strip mining for coal. By leveling the land and enriching the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients in the sludge, wasteland has been converted to fertile ground for agricultural uses. This program is called the Prairie Plan." http://www.mwrd.org/Processes/solid.htm
Kind of amazing...he makes it sound like sludge is a great product...makes you wonder who is telling truths and who is just slinging sludge.
I signed the petition and now I feel pretty much used by rhetoric. I am well educated. I guess I need to think some more. You let me down Tribune...you let me down Durbin...you let me down Emmanuel...you let me down my college buddies who convinced me to sign the hoopla.
Watch out who you are believing . I have a feeling these talking heads have no clue what they are talking about...they just want your money and votes. It took me long enough to realize that and now that I have signed the da## petition my name is sludge.
Steve R. Chicago North Sider
Uh okay...is I suppose BP has a right to defend itself...seeing as it spends so much advertising dollars into portraying itself as an environmental company...but come on...just how environmental can an oil company be? Yes you can minimize your environmental effects and I am sure they are better than all the others in a certain degree...but in all reality, I would rather see oil companies taking their massive profits and investing in the future...because we all know oil won't be around forever. Pollution needs to stop, we need oil alternatives...
...honestly, I say who cares about this Indiana incident...BP is getting what they want anyways. It's not like there profits are going to shoot down the drain...people still need oil to drive around in their cars.
Mark your calendar! Invite your friends!
The conflict was sparked by BP claiming it couldn't find 12,000 sq. ft. for expanded waste water treatment equipment for the expanded refinery production. The word was they just did not want to spend the money. They chose a new mixing zone in Lake Michigan instead.
Indiana government oversight committee will conduct a hearing on August 22 into IDEM's decision to grant a wastewater discharge permit to BP Amoco in Whiting.
The hearing of the Administrative Rules Oversight Committee will begin at 9:30 a.m. on that date in Room 401 in the Indiana Statehouse.
The hearing is open to the public. Any citizen is welcome to submit written testimony or petitions in advance.
Statements may be mailed to Rep. Scott Pelath's office at 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
BP is quickly loosing friends.
Congress doesn't like them increasing waste discharges into Lake Michigan and public outrage is growing.
Alaska is mad at them for their oil pipeline closure which reduced state revenue by approx. $500 million and caused environmental damage.
Texas is pissed because of the 15 deaths and 450+ injuries from the oil refinery explosion that caused huge damages.
Shareholders are outraged that the companies profits are being reduced because management failed to maintain and modernize its pipelines and refineries causing huge damage and liability expenses. Large deferred capital investments are projected to severely pinch short term profits.
(They were so outraged they booted the longtime CEO last month)
Russia just took back an lucrative BP oil field claiming the company was mismanaging the project and causing excessive environmental damage.
Policy makers and national defense officials are concerned national security has been placed at risk with BP's North American refinery interruptions and oil pipeline shutdowns.
You would think agreeing to expand a waste water treatment plant would be quickly accepted to put this Lake Michigan conflict behind them.
I honestly wish I could make the road trip out there, but I have work unfortunately...I will however, be sending in my comments and thoughts on the issue :)
Ask these politicians ("our leaders" scary) "Do you even know what sludge is? No one is dumping sludge. If you want to use the word sludge cause it sounds cool then keep on going." I am telling you man, this is a war of words and not truths. I am trying to show what I am figuring out... the politicians, media, NGOs are just saying whatever will get you and I ticked enough to support them and donate money to them and collect email addresses for them. Sure BP is putting ammonia and suspended solids into the lake but so is every other recalmation facility. The media and poiliticians are calling it sludge like it is some black gunk... I did some research and this is not the case. this is not what I am standing for. I want a clean lake, but I can no longer support those who are leading this charge because they are misleading me.
I want a clean lake and that means I want all these facilities including Chicago's and Milwaukees and the people that fertilize their lawns with ammonia to meet standards that will hopefully be set at zero for say 2010 or something reasonable....That way maybe someone can start a business to build the technology.
The last time the beach was closed was because of e-coli.... I searched and searched google and found out that the BP facility has never closed a beach like those who got me to sign the petition claimed.
we need to voice our views, but please ensure they are truly our views and not the person that cries wolf.
Sure BP is an energy company. They are not trying to solve our environmental problems overnight, but are trying to solve the problem. More than I can say now about our politicians. Companies have to make money to be stay in business to reinvest into green projects like bio fuels...what do you think that companies can just invest in non-profitable ventures - look at the internet bubble. BP has to balance long and short term goals otherwise there is no long term. I learned this in B-school. Atlease BP is doing something ... I think I got mad at first because I expect more from BP ... but now I realize atleast they are doing something. What the heck is everyone else doing.
What do yu think comapnies do with the money they make? Sure they pay salaries and sometime high ones, but they mainly reinvest the money into projects or give the money back to the owners like you and me who own mutual funds. There is not a room full of people jumping in piles of money. I looked at my mutual funds and realized I am the owner of many companies who may be adding to global warming and at the same time are trying to change things.
This is a tought thing for us to comprehend and the media and politicians know this.
Why aren't we complaining to the fertilizer copanies, to the city for putting salt on the roads, to the elctric companies who light our homes... oh because we need that stuff and that is just the price we have to pay for now... while we develop alternatives... maybe we should just say no more elctricty until we can have no emissions. Then we will be in the dark... just like I have figured out our politicans like to keep us so they can turn on one light and say over here over here "Listen believe me this is what is true (even though I did not thinking on it - but I know it will get you on my side).
As I type I can't believe what I am writing, but I have realized what is going on.
All I can say is wow...well your right, ammonia is a problem everywhere and in everything...and even the company I work for emits ammonia into the air. I think the problem doesn't have to do with sludge...or may be it does...I personally don't know of any, and BP claims that there isn't any...but quite frankly I wont trust a corporation doing its own studies...which is why I hate the FDA because they allow pharmaceutical corporations to conduct there own studies until they develop the results they want. This is much the same case,
I don't own any mutual funds...and I don't know why would assume everyone does...but I do know that last year the OIL industry earned the most profit it had ever earned...and I don't see substantial amounts of money being invested into alternative fuels, rather I see pity money handed out solely for PR.
People do complain about fertilizers, and and energy efficiency, and everything else pertaining to global warming...there are plenty of projects and movements aimed at solving this issue...yet the issue that WE are talking about on this blog post is BP and there pollution dumping in Lake Michigan. People don't want it, and they shouldn't have to accept it just so some corporation can make some bucks. Maybe they should pick up their bags and go to some third world country where no one will care what they do to the environment...
Sure Scott lets just send more jobs and more "sludge" to the third world. It seems we American's are so interested in the quality of the environment that we are on a quest to send any process that makes polution to another country so that we can claim that our country is environmentally aware and clean. Well, what comes around does go around. It does not matter where you send it, eventually it comes back to you. People in California and the West Coast breath air that comes form all the over on the other side of the Pacific (from China) that is laden with all kinds of polutents that go into all the products that we all but at Wall-Mart, Best Buy, Target and other big box stores. As if air quality in L.A. was not bad enough. Nothing is free. If want out air and water to be clean shipping our dirty manufacturing problems to the third world is not the answer. We don't get a cleaner environment in the long run and all those working class people that the left seems to be interested in courting continue to loose the vital manufacturing jobs they depend on for their livelyhoods. Let me ask you: do you drive a car that burns some kind of fuel (or gets its energy form a power plant), do you own a computer, is there anything made of plastic in your house and are you ready and willing to sacrifice any of that so that some one in the third world (and eventually all of us) can live in a cleaner world? If not then how about we give BP some room to to business. I know that I am not ready to give up any of these things. Most of us aren't. I've been to some of these "Third World" countries you talk about. The conditions in many of them in regard to polution and the human condition are terrible. We used to have some of those kinds of conditions here, until we began to send it all over there. We need to do more of our own manufacturing and processing again. That way we can be reminded of just how much our American way of life really costs (you know: the real cost of doing business).
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