WHITING, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Environmentalists say BP has agreed to pay penalties and clean up its act at its refinery in Whiting.
The BP oil refinery in Whiting on Lake Michigan is the 6th largest refinery in the country and is more than 100 years old, according to environmentalists. Environmental groups credit the federal government with helping to get BP to agree to pay more than $500 million in penalties and to increase its use of air pollution control systems.
BP was sued in 2019 for repeatedly violating legal limits on the amount of soot emitted from the plant. The local leader of the Sierra Club calls the agreement a big win for the mostly black and Latino people who live within three miles of the refinery in Northwest Indiana.
“Today’s agreement should significantly reduce fine particle pollution from BP’s refinery, and ensure that violations of emission limits are reported and quickly corrected,” said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental integrity Project in a statement.
Related
