BP files for new air permit for Whiting refinery

But the refinery will also put out less of the deadly carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and possibly less mercury.

BP announced late Wednesday that it has withdrawn its 2006 air permit application to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and submitted a new, stricter one Wednesday.

Although the company proposes to increase emissions of some materials compared to 2006, company officials say the refinery would reduce overall regulated emissions to 8,332 tons per year in 2011, 7 percent less than in 2006.

Company officials say the proposed increases in lead (25 percent), particulate matter (21 percent) and sulfur dioxide (20 percent) would remain below regulatory limits.

"Any way you're seeing increases, it's associated with the fact that heavy Canadian crude oil requires more heat to process," said BP spokesman Scott Dean.

But Hammond resident and environmental activist Bessie Dent said the added pollution will still affect her neighborhood.

"I'm concerned about all of them, but especially the lead and the particulate matters," Dent said. "Those are bad things to be increasing, especially because lead is so harmful to young children."

IDEM spokesman Rob Elstro said Lake County only attained the federal air quality standard for sulfur dioxide and particulate matter in recent years, but that IDEM is required to demonstrate the county will maintain that standard if it allows BP to increase emissions of those materials.

"During the permitting process, we make sure increases from a new permit would not bring the area out of attainment," Elstro said.

BP refinery manager Dan Sajkowski said he also expects the Whiting refinery to increase emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that IDEM doesn't regulate.

"Carbon dioxide is not part of the permit application because it is not a regulated quantity. CO2 has been dropping (since 2000), but will increase by 50 percent because we'll be running more crude and it's heavier," Sajkowski told the environmental management policy committee of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission on Thursday.

He said BP scientists don't know how to control carbon dioxide emissions, but are committed to finding a way.

"We want to be the leader in CO2. You'd like to have a refinery with zero emissions. That's why we have people at Whiting who are upset at some of the statements that have been coming out," he said, referring to the controversy over the company's wastewater permit.

BP said more than $1.4 billion of the $3.8 billion refinery modernization program is allocated for environmental improvements.

BP's air permit application is available on IDEM's Web site, www.in.gov/idem, under "What's New?"

Correspondent Charles M. Bartholomew contributed to this report.