BP Whiting Refinery Cleanup Winds Down
An assessment team, comprised of representatives from the Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and BP, stated Friday that no further cleanup actions were recommended following a scheduled return visit to the BP Whiting Refinery to conduct a Determination of Clean survey. The visit was originally scheduled to take place Thursday but was postponed due to heavy rains and high water levels. After an inspection of the rocky shoreline on the southeast wall of the cove near the refinery, it was determined that the small areas of the oiled pebbles identified Sunday had all been removed by cleanup crews. On Sunday, the assessment team also conducted underwater surveys that included probing in 36 different locations on the bottom of Lake Michigan near the area of discharge.
BP Refinery Spilling Oil into Lake Michigan
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency are responding to the report of an oil discharge into Lake Michigan from the BP Whiting Refinery in Whiting, Ind. The Coast Guard received a report Monday night from watchstanders the National Response Center of a sheen from an unknown substance discharging from an outflow adjacent to the refinery. Personnel from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago and the EPA responded last night and found an area of about 5,000 square feet covered in crude oil.
Jeffboat Receives Environmental Award
American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) announced that Jeffboat received a Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on September 17 at the 11th annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show in Plainfield, IN. Jeffboat, the nation's largest inland shipbuilder, received the award for pollution prevention as a result of its implementation of a new system to blend epoxy coating with paint. This new process enabled Jeffboat to reduce hazardous waste generation by more than 25,000 pounds annually. It also resulted in the reduction of solvent usage by about 4,000 gallons annually while increasing production by 33 percent. Finally, the new process eliminated about 28,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds.
ACL Named to EPA's National Environmental Performance Track Program
American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) announced that its Transportation Services Division has been named as one of 42 new members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Environmental Performance Track program. Membership is awarded to private and public facilities that have a strong record of environmental compliance, set three-year goals for continuous improvements in environmental performance beyond their legal requirements, have internal systems in place to manage their environmental impacts, engage in community outreach, and consistently report results. ACL is the first marine transportation company to obtain membership in the program.
