Oil spills into Lake Michigan from BP refinery

So I just came across some news as I was reading ChicagoTribune.com. As a person who lives in the Chicagoland area it bothers me when I read stories like this... It would seem that BP's Whiting, IN refinery, which is on Lake Michigan and very close to Chicago, just had an oil spill into the lake, but the amount of oil that has been spilled is undetermined right now... I feel like we are seeing these type of screw ups on a too regular of a basis. And for those who don't know, Lake Michigan water is the drinking water for all the neighboring areas... As more information begins to come in I will share with you all.

(Reuters) - An unknown amount of oil leaked from BP Plc's Whiting refinery in Indiana into Lake Michigan after a mechanical glitch on Monday afternoon, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

The discharge had stopped, and the leak was contained, the London-based company said in a statement on Tuesday.

No injuries were reported, and the effect on Lake Michigan was not immediately clear. About 60 percent of the lake is covered in ice, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

BP has laid down boom on the water to keep the leak from spreading and said the oil was in a cove between the refinery's wastewater treatment plant and a steel mill.

Crews were working on the cleanup on Tuesday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard and state regulators were at the scene.

Winds were pushing the oil onto the shore, while cold temperatures were causing it to harden into a waxy consistency, making it easier to collect, BP spokesman Scott Dean said.

Dean declined to say how much oil was released.

The largest crude distillation unit at the 405,000-barrel-per-day refinery was back to normal operations after a malfunction led to the leak, Dean said.

The 260,000-bpd crude distillation unit, called Pipestill 12, was the centerpiece of a $4 billion refit of the Whiting refinery completed late last year to run large amounts of oil from Canada's tar sands fields in Alberta.

A crude distillation unit does the initial refining of crude oil coming into a refinery and provides feedstock for all other units at the plant.

The refinery has been increasing the amount of Canadian crude oil running through Pipestill 12 during the first quarter of this year.

Environmental groups opposed the BP upgrade, saying use of the Canadian crude would increase pollution from the refinery into Lake Michigan.

The Whiting refinery is the primary focus of BP's U.S. refining strategy to use only plants in the northern United States that have in easy access to Canadian crude oil. BP sold plants in Texas and California last year as part of the strategy.

BP's American depositary shares were down 1 cent at $46.69 in morning New York Stock Exchange trading. The company's stock was up 0.4 percent in London.

Chicago Tribune

Hmmm. I see a possible increase in the price of whitefish in the future.

Must be cold working out there this time of the year. But as the article stated, it may be better that the oil is waxy in the cold. It won't sink into the sand so badly. Better than in the summer.

rickymouse
Hmmm. I see a possible increase in the price of whitefish in the future.

Must be cold working out there this time of the year. But as the article stated, it may be better that the oil is waxy in the cold. It won't sink into the sand so badly. Better than in the summer.

It seems all fish prices will be increasing everywhere, because we seem to have these type of "accidents" all over nowadays... I know people who work at Whiting's refinery and when it gets too cold the trades aren't allowed to work outside, so it's not too bad, and the same can be said when it gets really hot in the summer months.

Buts its okay, because they are "sorry".

Sigh, i hope the cleanup goes well.

reply to post by jhn7537


Again BP... Really?

I bet you are "oh so sorry" about this one too, then swipe it under the rug right?

Criminal fat cat oil execs...



-SAP-

SloAnPainful
reply to post by jhn7537

 

Again BP... Really?

I bet you are "oh so sorry" about this one too, then swipe it under the rug right?

Criminal fat cat oil execs...

-SAP-

Yea, it definitely sucks... I guess there 5 year plan included contaminating the water in numerous regions around the United States...

reply to post by jhn7537


Yeah it does...

I would be upset it if it got in Lake Superior... Such a beautiful lake and area up in Northern Minnesota by Duluth.

BP are criminals and should be tried like one...

-SAP-