HAMMOND | City officials want answers to some tough questions before giving BP North America a green light to begin the first phase of its planned $3.8 billion refinery expansion.
A July 25 inspection of the trailer complex that would serve as command center for the four-year project to increase refinery operations in East Chicago and Whiting, as well as Hammond, found building and health code violations -- including raw sewage accumulating under some of the trailers from a leaking septic system at the site.
Refinery officials assembled the trailer complex without seeking required city permits, leading the Hammond Redevelopment Commission to withhold its approval for the center last month.
Concerns over BP's compliance with city health and safety regulations also led the Board of Zoning Appeals to postpone any approval of a $110 million asphalt production facility planned for North Hammond, which company officials said was the first step in the project to bring Canadian crude oil to its refinery.
A letter sent to BP on Wednesday by Hammond Zoning Administrator Donald Novak asks for specific information about the company's compliance with public safety ordinances. The letter also seeks data BP supplied to federal and state regulators in securing permits for air and water emissions of hazardous materials from the proposed facility.
"We're moving cautiously in approving this project until all our city departments are aware of the issues," Marty Wielgos, chief of staff for Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., said Friday.
BP officials directed all questions about the city's information request to Thomas Keilman, the refinery's director of public affairs, who could not be reached for comment Friday.
Of particular concern are plans to move the refinery's wastewater outfall -- recently approved by Indiana regulators to discharge increased levels of ammonia and particulate material -- 3,520 feet closer to Hammond's drinking water intake in Lake Michigan.
Besides Hammond, the intake provides water for Dyer, Griffith and Munster, in addition to 10 communities in Illinois.
"The city was not given any information about the change in outfall location," Wielgos said.
The city is asking for "all documents, plans, drawings, and the supporting studies, calculations, assumptions and any other documents submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management" for approval of the new water discharge permit.
Officials also want copies of all air emission permits, whether approved or pending, for the reconfigured refinery and a list of contaminants allowed to be emitted, along with their maximum concentrations.
Approval for the trailer complex is not on the agenda for Tuesday's scheduled Redevelopment Commission meeting and won't be considered until there is an agreement or resolution in place regarding the zoning and building issues, said Richard Calinski, executive director of planning and development.
The city urged BP to be prompt in its reply to the request for information, because the information will be reviewed by staff in a dozen city departments responsible for public health and safety. A recommendation regarding the asphalt plant could go before the zoning board at its next meeting Aug. 29.
