Short-sighted foolishness
One reason we shouldn’t casually conflate energy independence and environmentalism:
The massive BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., is planning to dump significantly more ammonia and industrial sludge into Lake Michigan, running counter to years of efforts to clean up the Great Lakes.
Indiana regulators exempted BP from state environmental laws to clear the way for a $3.8 billion expansion that will allow the company to refine heavier Canadian crude oil. They justified the move in part by noting the project will create 80 new jobs.
[snip]
federal and state officials acknowledge this marks the first time in years that a company has been allowed to dump more toxic waste into Lake Michigan.
BP, which aggressively markets itself as an environmentally friendly corporation, is investing heavily in Canadian crude oil to reduce its reliance on sources in the Middle East. Extracting petroleum from the thick goop is a dirtier process than conventional methods. It also requires more energy that could significantly increase greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
Putting aside global warming concerns for a moment:
Notice how BP’s polluting practices contradict it’s “green” marketing.
Notice how we’re downstream from Lake Michigan. They may get 80 jobs of questionable quality and duration, but the rest of us can’t swim in Charlotte Beach, for example, because the water is so polluted.
Notice that all this started when Indiana decided to disregard their own laws. Rule of Law and equal treatment under the law are key to a functioning democracy.
I wonder how much money BP spent lobbying in order to get this passed. Corporations are fine when they stick to doing their jobs, but they’ve been invading the public/political sphere. That’s not cool.
Sad, but not unexpected. The state of Indiana has a long history of Republican big-business cronyism. In 2004, Mitch Daniels, Bush’s former OMB director, unseated a Democrat to become governor of Indiana. He’s a former conservative think-tank lobbyist and pharmaceutical exec.