Preventing Future BP Fiascos in the Great Lakes

Earlier this year, BP sought permission to dump 1,500 pounds of ammonia and nearly 5,000 pounds of wastewater laden with mercury and other toxins into Lake Michigan. Along with our allies in the Midwest, we rallied opposition to the plan and forced BP to back down. To prevent future plans like the BP plan, Environment New York launched a new campaign in September to prevent industrial polluters from increasing their discharges into the Great Lakes.

Accounting for 90 percent of the fresh surface waters of North America, the Great Lakes are truly a national treasure. These vast waters not only provide drinking water and recreation for millions of Americans; they are also the lifeblood of the region—the Grand Canyon and the Yellowstone of the Midwest, as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) observed. But industrial polluters, such as BP, asked for and received permission in increase pollution into the Great Lakes.

In response, Environment New York and its affiliates helped organize what the Associated Press called a “firestorm” of public and political outrage. On Aug. 23, BP publicly pledged to avoid the pollution increases allowed in its new permit.

Moving Beyond Pollution
BP is not the only company seeking to dump more pollution into the Great Lakes. Permits allowing pollution increases are pending for Murphy’s Oil on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior, for ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil in Illinois, and elsewhere in the Great Lakes region.

For the sake of our waters, the people who drink them, and our children who will inherit them, we must prevent future BP fiascos by eliminating industrial pollution increases into Great Lake state waterways.