You can view the BP Whiting Refinery fact sheet here, as well.
I find the most important key factor in this story is that BP plans to get it's crude oil from Canada and not from the Mideast. When there are resources available that are closer to home, then that makes all the difference.
Secondly, the BP Whiting Refinery is committed to keeping Lake Michigan clean. Only treated water is released into Lake Michigan, not sludge. They say the water released is more than 99.9% water and the sludge is treated and released separately, so everyone can rest assured that BP is not polluting the environment.
Lastly, BP follows state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines that protect aquatic and human life.
The Chicago Tribune's main concern was that BP was dumping massive toxic amounts of sludge and ammonia-filled water into Lake Michigan, undoing all the effort that has been spent over time to clean up the Great Lakes and harming the aquatic life within. They stated that BP was given a pardon by Indiana regulators to dump into the lake, therefore creating algae blooms that kill fish.
BP stands firm saying they are well within the legal limits, stating a new water discharge permit allows the refinery's ammonia levels to increase, but still will be less than half of those that the federal environmental guidelines could allow.
BP wants the public to know they are committed to minimizing the environmental impact of their actions.
