Update - London bound - and back
Petitioners from the United States met with a British Petroleum official in London in October and entreated him to protect the Great Lake Michigan in the heart of the United States. We urged BP to conform to the American Clean Water Act limit of 1.3 parts per trillion for mercury discharge in disposing of wastewater from BP’s Indiana refinery despite Indiana Department of Environmental Management allowing BP the higher rate of 8.75. Although this BP representative promised a response from the company, no such answer has been made and all attempts to follow-up have been met with silence.
The Great Lakes Basin
serves as the largest freshwater system in the world and the source of
drinking water for tens of millions of U.S. and Canadian citizens. Lake Michigan is the second largest lake in
the Great Lakes Basin, a system which represents 84% of North America’s surface
freshwater and some 20% of all surface freshwater on earth. Its unique conditions support rich biological
diversity that includes species of plants and animals unknown in the rest of
the world.
Renown for its scenic
beauty and water recreation, Lake Michigan’s national, state and local coastal
parks host visitors from around the globe.
Chicago’s 24 beaches alone occupy 26 miles of shoreline. BP’s Whiting refinery is located between the
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Chicago beaches.
Mercury, a potent
neurotoxin, is particularly toxic to children and fetuses, damaging kidney,
lungs and brain, and can be absorbed through the skin. The term “mad as a hatter” originated from 18th
and 19th century English hat makers who were exposed daily to trace
amounts of mercury in vapors, and who over time accumulated mercury in their
bodies and became demented. Mercury does
not decompose but concentrates in living things, including fish and plants; its
contamination spreads by one mercury-containing organism ingesting another.
“We delivered this petition - signed by Lake Michigan’s
supporters from all over the world - to Indiana, to Washington and now are bringing
it to BP in London,” stated petition originator Jacqueline Widmar Stewart. “The cost of mercury contamination in the
Lake is incalculable in terms of damage to human, plant and animal life and
goes against decades-long efforts to clean up the lake. The health of the entire lake and the four
states that border it are put at risk with this lethal neurotoxin. We urgently need BP’s assistance in saving
our lakes from the scourge of mercury poisoning.”
For more details on IDEM's decision please see
http://www.nwitimes.com/
