BP (formerly British Petroleum, now Beyond Petroleum) has done a great job of pitching itself as an environmentally friendly oil company. But if their behavior in our backyard is any indication, I think their efforts are looking suspiciously like greenwashing. The Chicago Tribune today is reporting that Indiana is allowing the company to dump even more toxic chemicals into Lake Michigan:"The company will now be allowed to dump an average of 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge into Lake Michigan every day. The additional sludge is the maximum allowed under federal guidelines." Ammonia--in addition to smelling like death itself--promotes algae blooms that can kill fish, while sludge is full of concentrated heavy metals.
Ick.
