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Emanuel, Durbin Oppose New Permit to Allow BP to Dump More Ammonia and Sludge in Lake Michigan |
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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (IL-5) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (IL) released the following letter to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. The letter asks Administrator Johnson to clarify the EPA’s role in approving a permit issued by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to allow BP to increase the amount of ammonia and sludge dumped into Lake Michigan by 50% and 35%, respectively, when BP expands its refinery in Whiting, Indiana. The following is the text of the letter: The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson Dear Administrator Johnson, We are writing to express our strong concern over the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s recent decision to allow BP PLC’s Whiting, Indiana facility to increase the amount of ammonia and sludge they can dump into Lake Michigan daily by 50% and 35%, respectively. This new permit will allow BP to dump an average of 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge daily into Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes account for 95% of the United States’ surface freshwater and provide drinking water for more than 30 million Americans. Between the startling increases in fish consumption advisories, record numbers of beach closures, and studies indicating that over 90% of shoreline in the Great Lakes region is polluted, we are shocked that the EPA has allowed this permit to go forward. We respectfully request that you put a hold on the new permit until we have assurances that— 1) As authorized under Section 402(d) of the Clean Water Act, Indiana’s granting of the permit was reviewed by the EPA and did not meet the standards for objection "as being outside the guidelines and requirements" of the Clean Water Act. 2) As authorized by Section 402(o) of the Clean Water Act, the permit was not renewed, reissued, or modified containing effluent limitations which are comparable to effluent limitations in the previous permit. 3) As authorized by Section 301(b)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act, the permit meets the Best Available Technologies requirement. 4) Water Quality in Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes will not be adversely affected by the new allowances for ammonia and sludge dumping by BP Whiting. In May of 2004, President Bush issued an executive order to establishment a Great Lakes Interagency Task Force in order to promote a regional collaboration for the Great Lakes. In the executive order, the President stated that it “is the policy of the Federal Government to support local and regional efforts to address environmental challenges and to encourage local citizen and community stewardship.” We agree with the President that the Great Lakes are one of our nation’s greatest treasures, and we should not allow new dumping into them. Allowing the dumping of more ammonia and sludge into Lake Michigan does not encourage community stewardship, and instead sets back the progress we have made to clean up these vital elements of America’s commercial, recreational, and environmental life. We remain steadfastly opposed to an increase in dumping in Lake Michigan or any of the Great Lakes, and we look forward to your response to our request.
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