Please sign our petition and pass it on to concerned colleagues:
Corporate giant BP dumps almost 20 times more mercury into Lake Michigan than is permitted under federal law, endangering human health and fishing interests. The state of Indiana is allowing this to continue. We demand that Indiana require BP's massive Indiana refineries to come into compliance with all federal pollution laws and that BP, the state of Indiana, and the EPA act aggressively to protect our nationally treasured Lake Michigan.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-bp-pollution-of?source=c.fwd&r_by=8245180

Indiana Department of Environmental Management transcript of hearing on BP's request for a waiver of compliance with EPA standards for mercury discharges into Lake Michigan:
http://www.in.gov/idem/files/owq_notice_bp_products_npdes_2013_hearing_transcript.pdf

Please sign our petition
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-bp-pollution-of

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Alarmed families take case to Washington DC to petition president and entreat legislature's help

Activists who presented their petition to Indiana Governor Mike Pence on August 1^st personally took their case to Washington DC on Thursday, August 8th, delivering their petition to the White House demanding that the State of Indiana require that BP’s massive Indiana oil refineries come into compliance with all federal pollution laws, and together with the EPA act aggressively to protect our nationally treasured Lake Michigan.   They then delivered entreaties and books to 25 Senators and Representatives.

The Indiana and Michigan residents also raised the question of whether Indiana has the right at all to allow toxic discharges into Lake Michigan public waters bordered by the 4 states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana.  The refinery is located in the midst of the greater Chicago metropolitan area on the very shores of Lake Michigan.

Indiana currently permits British company BP to dump mercury into the lake at almost 20 times the amount allowable under Environmental Protection Agency standards and poised to grant BP a permanent waiver of the mercury discharge limit.

Within the past several years BP has massively expanded the capacity of its Whiting, Indiana, refinery complex so that it can process tar sand oil piped from Canada.

Already mercury levels have caused the loss of commercial fishing from the Lake.  Mercury is a neurotoxic component of waste released in the oil refining process.  A potent neurotoxin, mercury causes brain damage.  As recently as the 20^th century milliners became “mad as a hatter” from exposure to mercury in making felt hats. 

The element mercury accumulates in the environment and does not break down; it can be absorbed through the skin and can cause both chronic and acute poisoning.   Mercury invades the food chain when a larger animal eats a smaller one already poisoned by mercury, so that humans can be poisoned from eating fish that have fed on mercury-infested minnows.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is situated on the coast within 10 miles of BP’s Whiting plant.  The book that accompanied the letter to the legislators gives a history of 5 Indiana and Michigan parks at the lake’s southern tip and is entitled The Glaciers’ Treasure Trove:  A Field Guide to the Lake Michigan Riviera, written by Jacqueline Widmar Stewart.  

      

     

Your Kingdom for our Lake

What’s a fair trade for our Great Lake?

         The British Isles and William Blake!

Oil slicks floating on our fair pond?

         We’d sooner see BP running aground!

Mercury, toxins and damaged brains,

         Nature wiped out by sewage drains.

Why spoil our water, air and soil

         Just so the cats can get fatter on oil?

All the English treasures they could trade

        Won't make up for the messes they've made.

Not here, BP, on our Lake Michigan
         Go somewhere else; don't kill the fish again.

Clean energy is what we need - 
         Switch now, BP, and take the lead!

The whole world will thank you.

Welcome to our blog 
dedicated to saving our Great Lake Michigan.