Power to the people!

Rebecca D. Stanfield
Environment Illinois State Director:

Citing "ongoing regional opposition," BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone announced this morning that the company will avoid any increased pollution into Lake Michigan from its oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana.

BP has heard the voices of hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents saying that Lake Michigan is a natural treasure and source of drinking water, not our dumping ground. In response, BP has issued a non-binding statement indicating it will avoid increased dumping of ammonia and toxics-containing solids, which are allowed by its new discharge permit issued in June by Indiana's Department of Environmental Management.

I'd like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes region residents like you who have spoken out to protect Lake Michigan from BP's expanded dumping. Together we made BP's announcement today happen. We now need to urge BP to immediately call for an amended discharge permit that sets in stone its promise to avoid any increase in pollution.

As long as BP's current discharge permit remains on the books in Indiana, it sets a disastrous precedent. The permit is the first in years to allow a company to increase its pollution into Lake Michigan. To ensure Lake Michigan's protection, the permit must be amended -- both to hold BP to its pledge and to avoid setting a dangerous standard for future permits.

Send the message to BP today that it needs to get an amended permit that doesn't allow for any increase in pollution:




Sincerely,

Rebecca D. Stanfield
Environment Illinois State Director