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President O’Brien Comments about BP Dumping
July 18, 2007 President O’Brien Comments about BP Dumping President Terrence J. O’Brien of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commented today that he agreed with several Great Lakes lawmakers, who urged federal regulators to block a British Petroleum (BP) refinery near the Illinois-Indiana border from dumping 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge into Lake Michigan every day. “The District has been protecting Lake Michigan from pollution for 118 years, and has spent trillions of taxpayer dollars during that time to do so. We find this action by BP to be appalling. We urge the leaders of BP to reconsider their decision. Lake Michigan is the source of drinking water for Chicago and dozens of other communities—and the quality of that water must not be compromised. BP markets itself as an environmentally friendly company. Environmentally conscious companies do not pollute,” President O’Brien said. In the 1970s the District successfully sued Amoco Oil and other polluters at the south end of Lake Michigan for placing toxic waste into the lake. Amoco Oil was eventually purchased by BP. For more information on the District, please go to the website, www.mwrd.org. # # # |