NWI environment advocates worry about BP permit application
Local community and environmental groups are worried about a proposed water pollution control permit for the BP Whiting refinery.
Permit comments filed by the Environmental Law and Policy Center and Environmental Integrity Project say the permit will allow the facility to dump 'unhealthy levels of pollutants,' including mercury, into Lake Michigan, according to a news release.
In a statement to the Post-Tribune, a spokesman for BP said a draft of the permit is available for public comment, but it has yet to be issued. The corporation's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is subject to renewal every five years.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management held an April 22 public hearing as part of the renewal process, according to BP.
'(BP) is committed to safe and compliant operations at the Whiting Refinery and across our global operations,' the company's statement said. 'We will continue working every day to keep this commitment and to ensure the refinery remains an important part of the Northwest Indiana economy for years to come.'
Activists are asking IDEM to revise a draft permit for the plant to include stronger pollution limits for mercury, PFAs and other toxins, including arsenic, benzene and lead, according to the news release.
Mercury is harmful to people of all ages, according to the news release, and it can cause brain damage to infants and poisons fish. PFAs are dangerous in very small 'parts per trillion' amounts and don't easily break down in the environment.
'The permit demonstrates BP's and the state of Indiana's disregard for the health of the people of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area,' Kerri Gefeke, associate attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said in the news release. 'It's particularly egregious for the state to allow BP to discharge elevated levels of mercury, unknown amounts of 'forever chemicals' like PFAs, and numerous other chemicals into Lake Michigan mere feet from the beaches where people swim and fish, and a short distance from where the City of Hammond withdraws its drinking water.'
Meg Parish, senior attorney at the Environmental Integrity Project, agreed with Gefeke, saying the state of Indiana shouldn't allow the permit.
Various organizations sent a letter to IDEM asking the department to not renew the permit at the Whiting refinery.
Carolyn McCrady, member of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, said IDEM works for people and asked the agency to do a 'real analysis' before allowing the permit.
Lisa Vallee, organizing director for Just Transition Northwest Indiana and a Whiting resident, said she was dumbfounded by the permit renewal application. The new permit contains more lax regulations, neglects to address more than 20 toxic chemicals and concerns about forever chemicals, Vallee said in a statement.
'We are not fools,' Vallee said. 'We know because we live here; every day, we smell it, see it and become ill. We will never stop fighting for the clean water, air and land we deserve.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
These are the 3 most popular dividend stocks investors are buying in June
The London Stock Exchange is filled with dividend stocks and income opportunities. In fact, it's home to some of the most generous payouts in the world, with the FTSE 100 offering one of the highest dividend yields compared to other global stock market indices. That's terrific news for British investors seeking to build a lucrative passive income stream, especially since individual stocks from within the FTSE 100 offer even higher rewards. And looking at the most amount of money invested into UK shares on Hargreaves Lansdown's platform, three stocks in particular are getting a lot of attention right now: Glencore, Rio Tinto, and BP (LSE:BP.). Sadly, popularity doesn't automatically make a stock a good investment. So investors always need to dig a bit deeper to determine both the risks and potential rewards. Looking just at the dividend yield, the popularity of BP isn't hard to understand. The dividend stock currently offers an impressive 6.6% payout to shareholders. And if the current analyst forecasts prove accurate, the oil & gas giant's market-cap could also be due with a nice 11% bump over the next 12 months. Behind these attractive figures is a shift in strategy to slow its transition away from fossil fuels. Environmentalists are hardly pleased with this idea. However, investors are more welcoming of the change of course given the group's recent underperformance versus its peers. The realignment towards fossil fuels is paving the way for more robust profit margins protecting the group's dividend. And while the firm's still investing in renewable projects, the budget's been cut from $5bn to £2bn to free up unused excess cash flows and provide management with more financial flexibility. This means faster deleveraging of the balance sheet and potentially larger increases in shareholder payouts moving forward. Needless to say, improved financial health is a positive sign. And it's one of the leading reasons why sentiment from institutional analysts has improved significantly in 2025. As previously mentioned, BP's renewed focus on fossil fuels has seemingly gone down well with investors. But not all groups are happy about the decision. And it's possible BP could face regulatory backlash as we draw closer to Net Zero targets throughout the UK and Europe. This change in strategy also increases the revenue stream's sensitivity to fluctuating oil & gas prices. Such commodity exposure isn't a new threat to BP. But with trade wars, geopolitical conflicts, and production disputes among OPEC+ members, uncertainty is on the rise. Should the worse come to pass, the group's largely fixed costs will likely translate into thinner profit margins and lower free cash flow generation. And if this pressure becomes too much to bear, a dividend cut could emerge even with more profitable fossil fuel projects in its pipeline. All things considered, BP's current high yield is a reflection of the uncertainty and risk surrounding this business. It's a similar story for Glencore and Rio Tinto, both susceptible to similar threats in the metal markets. Therefore, despite the popularity of these dividend stocks, I think there are more promising, lower-risk income opportunities to explore elsewhere. The post These are the 3 most popular dividend stocks investors are buying in June appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Zaven Boyrazian has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
BP overhauling TA's marketing department
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. BP is making changes to TravelCenters of America's marketing department that will result in layoffs through the rest of 2025, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive. The changes are part of BP's ongoing strategy reset, which launched earlier this year to improve the company's performance, drive cash flow and increase shareholder value, the spokesperson said. They did not share how many team members are expected to be impacted. This comes about five months after BP revealed plans to cut about 5% of its global workforce by 2026. At the time, a BP spokesperson declined to share specifics on the company divisions and regions impacted by the layoffs.. In a memo sent to BP's employees back in January, CEO Murray Auchincloss said the 5% workforce reduction aimed to help the oil giant position itself as a 'simpler, more focused' company. That still appears to be the case with the latest changes at TA, as a source familiar with the matter said the latest moves aim to unify all marketing functions under the BP umbrella. This source added that some employees from TA's marketing team remain with the company, but they're now employed by BP instead of TA. In a statement to C-Store Dive, BP's spokesperson said the company is overhauling its marketing functions to help its businesses and brands be more successful and improve connections with customers. 'In February 2025 we proposed changes to our marketing organization and how we work, and as a result, this will impact roles across our marketing teams through 2025, including in TravelCenters of America,' BP's spokesperson said. BP acquired TA in May 2023. The acquisition, which included TA's 300 travel centers and 20,000 employees, 'fundamentally changed' BP's U.S. footprint, the oil giant said in its 2024 annual report. It's unclear how many of those 20,000 team members were in marketing. Recommended Reading BP to cut about 5% of global workforce
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Prediction: in 12 months the dirt-cheap Shell share price could turn £10,000 into…
The Shell (LSE SHEL) share price looks cheap right now, with a price-to-earnings ratio of just 8.95. That's well below the average FTSE 100 P/E of 15 times. There's a reason for that, of course. Shell shares have fallen with the oil price, slumping almost 10% in 12 months. They're still up 67% over five years though. That's less than half the drop suffered by FTSE 100 rival BP. Shell seems to have a better idea how to navigate the push to net zero, but with the oil price hovering around $65 a barrel, it's still struggling. It's far from a done deal that Shell can bounce back from today's lows and make investors rich all over again. There is little sign the oil price is about to recover. With OPEC+ increasing production, it could fall further, especially as China struggles and Donald Trump brings volatility. Then there's the push towards net zero, which could go either way. Theoretically, building a new line of renewable energy will threaten fossil fuel behemoths, but we need them to help us push through the transition. This is particularly true given exponentially rising energy demand, thanks to AI and the rest. Shell's first-quarter results, published on 2 May, showed adjusted earnings of $5.6bn. That's a big drop from $7.73bn a year earlier but ahead of analyst expectations of $4.96bn. The company also announced another $3.5bn quarterly share buyback programme, marking the 14th consecutive quarter of at least $3bn in buybacks. Cash flow from operations came in at $9.3bn, slightly below consensus expectations of $9.6bn. So what about that dividend? A trailing yield of 4.4% is okay, but not exactly to die for. It's expected to creep up in 2026, but only to 4.49%. Shell isn't the dividend superstar it once was. Over the last 15 years, I would have expected shareholder payouts to compound at a decent clip. Instead, it's fallen by an average of 2.88% a year. The board didn't just slash its full-year dividend from 188 US cents in 2019 to 65.3 cents during the 2020 pandemic. It rebased it. While payouts have climbed at a decent clip since, they started from that lower level. In 2024, the total dividend was 139 US cents. That's at levels last seen in 2007. The 19 analysts serving up one-year share price forecasts have produced a median target of around 3,027p. If correct, that's a handsome increase of around 21.5% from today. Combined with that yield, this would give investors a total return of 26%. Based on that, if somebody invested £10,000 in the stock today, it would grow to £12,600 in a year. Obviously, nobody can predict the future like that. I use it only as a guide to market thinking. Here's another. Of the 32 analysts giving one-year stock ratings, an impressive 23 name Shell a Strong Buy. Four say Hold and five say Sell. Shell continues to face risks, as the oil price slows, net zero spreads confusion, and the global economy struggles. It may look cheap, but there's no guarantee its shares will suddenly close the valuation gap. But for those wanting exposure to energy, today's low valuation does make Shell worth considering. More so than BP, in my book. The post Prediction: in 12 months the dirt-cheap Shell share price could turn £10,000 into… appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Harvey Jones has positions in Bp P.l.c. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025
