SR 299 — PROTECT LAKE MICHIGAN FROM BP

*LRB09512759CMK38126r* SR0299 Enrolled LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r SENATE RESOLUTION WHEREAS,NO. Lake Michigan is a valuable fresh water resource for the State of Illinois;

299 WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is a valuable fresh water resource for the State of Illinois;

and WHEREAS, The British Petroleum oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana is planning an expansion that would increase the refinery’s discharges into the Lake significantly, including 54% more ammonia (for a total discharge of 1,584 pounds of ammonia per day) and 35% more sludgetotal suspended solids (for a total discharge of 4,925 pounds of sludge per day) on a daily basis, running contrary to years of efforts to clean up the Great Lakes;

and WHEREAS, Ammonia promotes algae blooms that can kill fish in the LakeLake; and the sludge that will be discharged into the Lake by British Petroleum is full of concentrated heavy metals;

and SR0299 -2- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r WHEREAS, The increased discharge into the Lake runs counter SR0299 Enrolled -2- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r to a provision of the federal Clean Water Act that prohibits any downgrade in water quality near a pollution source, such as the British Petroleum refinery;

and WHEREAS, Indiana State regulators are allowing British Petroleum to install equipment that mixes its toxic waste with clean lake water about 200 feet offshore, and actively diluting pollution in this way is banned in Lake Michigan under Indiana law;

and WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency has not objected to the State of Indiana’s decision to allow SR0299 -3- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r the increased discharge by British Petroleum;

therefore, be it SR0299 Enrolled -3- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to follow a strict interpretation of the federal Clean Water Act to minimize any additional pollution into Lake Michigan;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge British Petroleum to review and reconsider the wastewater treatment facilities proposed to serve the expansion and reconfiguration of its Whiting, Indiana refinery with the specific intent to supplement or enhance treatment efficiencies to eliminate or reduce projected increases in ammonia nitrogen and total suspended solids discharged into Lake Michigan;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to require more investigation into the SR0299 Enrolled -4- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r possibility of expanding the British Petroleum refinery’s water treatment plant before allowing the refinery to proceed with current plans for increased pollution discharge into Lake Michigan;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois delegation to the United States Congress to take legislative action against any SR0299 -4- LRB095 12759 CMK 38126 r planned increase in the discharge of pollution into Lake Michigan that is contrary to the federal Clean Water Act and threatens the health of the environment of this State;