|
Current News
Save the Dunes News
Save the Dunes Council Voices Opposition to BP Whiting Water Permit
Posted: Fri, July 20, 2007
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) June 21, 2007 water quality permit, issued to BP (British Petroleum), Whiting, IN, set off a firestorm of protest. Once the public understood the impacts of BP’s proposed $3.8 billion dollar facility expansion, opposition became vocal.
Save the Dunes Council has been voicing disagreement to this permit for several months, as evidenced by permit comments posted on:
http://www.savedunes.org/news/index.php?uid=3602a20a526f
Save the Dunes’ concerns center upon a number of issues related to the Clean Water Act, and Anti-degradation laws, decisions to compromise the environment for jobs, as well as the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting process.
Unfortunately, under Indiana law, IDEM’s Commissioner Easterly has discretionary powers to determine the parameters of the discharge permit issued to BP. But Save the Dunes argues that the creation of 80 or so proposed permanent jobs or the 2,500 temporary jobs is in no way equal, in proportion, to the economic and social importance of a clean Great Lakes.
“BP needs to understand the regional and national importance of this vitally important fresh water system,” said Susan MiHalo, President of Save the Dunes Council. “The best entity to convey that to BP (British Petroleum), and to IDEM, is the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” Save the Dunes has talked with national, state and local officials on this issue, and has asked for their assistance in getting the EPA to take leadership and provide the public with answers.
Save the Dunes is also concerned about the precedent this permit sets with respect to permit renewals underway for other industrial facilities. “We are concerned that this opens the door for other industries to claim that their operations, or expansion of operations, deserve the same sort of permitting review as afforded BP, and we hope that the Commissioner will always act wisely and methodically when making such decisions,” said MiHalo.
Save the Dunes has heard from many members and partners who never had an opportunity to review the permit prior to approval. Save the Dunes believes that the factors IDEM used in determining compliance with the State of Indiana Water rules needs to be more transparent. “This experience points out the need to review the administrative process used to create permits and bring them to the attention of the public that will be impacted by them,” said MiHalo.
The mission of Save the Dunes Council is to preserve, protect and restore the Indiana Dunes and all natural resources in Northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan Watershed for an enhanced quality of life. Save the Dunes has worked diligently for more than 56 years to empower the public with ways people can conserve, preserve, and protect the waters of the Great Lakes, and especially Lake Michigan.
« Back To News Listing
|
|
|
