BP’s US refinery leaks oil into half a mile of Lake Michigan
WITH the legacy of the infamous Gulf of Mexico disaster still lingering around BP, the company confirmed yesterday that an unknown amount of oil had leaked from its Whiting refinery into Lake Michigan.
The leak occurred on Monday at 4.30pm because of a “disruption in the refining process”, the FTSE 100 oil giant said, but has now been stopped. There is no estimate for the volume of oil discharged and the refinery continues to operate. There have been no injuries, and cleanup activities are underway.
“After discovering the discharge, BP notified the US Coast Guard, US EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which were at the refinery Monday evening,” said the firm.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was the largest oil disaster in US offshore history, killing 11 people and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.