Illinois Members Ask for Meeting with BP Following Oil Spill in Lake Michigan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Dan Lipinski (IL-03), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) and Danny K. Davis (IL-07) asked for a meeting with BP after oil from BP's Whiting refinery in Indiana spilled into Lake Michigan earlier this week. The Illinois members also asked for a report about the cause of the spill, an analysis of the impact of the Whiting Refinery's production increase on Lake Michigan and information on what is being done to prevent future spills. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) are also sending a companion letter to BP.

"Any unanticipated spill is cause for concern, but given the Whiting refinery's recent expansion of its operations to double the amount of heavy oil sands being processed, this spill raises questions about the long-term safety and reliability of BP's new, expanded production at Whiting. It is in all of our best interests, including Lake Michigan and the communities and industries that rely on it, to ensure that this greater processing capacity will do no harm to Lake Michigan," wrote the Illinois members. "We urge you to explore every avenue to expeditiously recover any spilled oil, remediate the damage where possible, and minimize future threats the Whiting refinery poses to this irreplaceable resource."

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