Add lawsuits against refiners to the list of ways to raise gas prices. AP:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — An environmental group filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking a federal judge to halt BP’s $3.8 billion expansion of its Whiting refinery, saying the company needs to obtain a more stringent air permit before it can continue.
The Natural Resources Defense Council contends BP obtained a “minor source” air permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management when it should have obtained a “major source” permit under the federal Clean Air Act, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.
Ann Alexander, a senior attorney with NRDC, said BP failed to account for all the added pollution the expansion will cause, including an increase in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. The additional pollution will cause health problems such as such as [sic] asthma and bronchitis, and environmental problems such as ozone and acid rain, the lawsuit contends.