By Jim Tankersley

Illinois' congressional delegation wasted few opportunities this summer to pummel BP for its plans to increase dumping from its Indiana oil refinery into Lake Michigan – and when BP announced today it was reversing those plans, the lawmakers wasted little time celebrating.

In a joint press release this morning, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) hailed the announcement as "the news we have been waiting for – a watershed moment for Lake Michigan."

Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) called it “good news; BP made the right call” in an afternoon release.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) declared the move "a victory for the residents of all the Great Lake states and for the 30 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water" but warned "we must also remember that this battle is not over. We still have a process in place that allows a company to easily increase the amount of pollution that it can discharge into the Great Lakes."

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) echoed her in a release that followed minutes later. "The more than 30 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water can rest easier today now that BP has stopped its plan to increase pollution in our lake," he said, adding: "we need to work to change our laws to ensure that similar situations do not occur in the future."

Expect Schakowsky, Kirk and other House members from Illinois to persist in their push for bills to make it harder for states – such as Indiana in this case – to permit increased dumping into the lake. As the Tribune noted a few weeks back, Chicago-area lawmakers from both parties see almost no downside to fighting for clean water over the interests of a big oil company.

Read on for today's full releases from the Illinois lawmakers:

DURBIN AND EMANUEL PRAISE THE EFFORTS OF CHICAGOANS TO PROTECT LAKE MICHIGAN

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today made the following statement in response to the announcement by BP America that they have reversed their decision to dump more ammonia into Lake Michigan at their Indiana Whiting Refinery:

“This is the news we have been waiting for – a watershed moment for Lake Michigan. Today, BP America announced that they will not increase dumping in our lake. They realized a good business decision is a good environmental decision.

“The people of Chicago and every person who spoke out against the dumping had their voices heard. We sent a message to BP that the pollution of one of our national treasures will not be tolerated. Together, we put pressure on a company to do what is right and they responded.

“This summer, we brought BP to the table and asked them to stop plans to dump more pollution into the Lake. We made it clear that if they didn’t work to preserve and protect Lake Michigan, they were in for a battle. This morning, we spoke with Bob Malone, Chairman and President of BP America, and he assured us that BP is going to explore what we have urged all along – how to expand economic opportunity while protecting the environment and we applaud BP for doing that.

“Today’s decision should be commended and should serve as an example of how the efforts of ordinary citizens can make a difference.”

Reaction of U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-Il-13th) on BP Pledge of No Increase in Lake Michigan

Discharge Limits

Washington, DC -- U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-13th-IL) today issued the following statement in response to BP America’s pledge to operate its oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana at the lower discharge levels contained in the facility’s previous wastewater treatment permit. In order to meet the lower discharge limits, BP will provide a $5 million grant to underwrite the technology task force convened at the request of Representatives Biggert and Pete Visclosky (D-1st-IN). Including scientists and water experts from Argonne National Laboratory and the Purdue University Calumet Water Institute, the task force will work with BP to explore the application of emerging technologies that could address wastewater treatment challenges faced by entities along the Great Lakes.

“This is good news; BP made the right call,” said Biggert, a senior member of the Science and Technology Committee. “I’ve always maintained that advanced technology should be moving us in the opposite direction – less dumping in the lake, and not more dumping. Our lake is our treasure, and our goal should be to reduce discharges from all sources. The permits may have allowed it, but the science should make it unnecessary.”

“On one hand, we want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring our gas prices down. But on the other hand, we have our lake that means so much to all of us,” continued Biggert, whose south suburban district includes Argonne National Laboratory. “I’ve always had a lot of confidence in our scientists at Argonne, and at the Purdue Water Institute. The $5 million dollars that BP has pledged to the effort shows that they’re serious too.”

“Now I’m hopeful that some of the name-calling and finger pointing will calm down and we’ll get to work on finding a solution. The Argonne-Purdue BP team will have its first official meeting in early September, and Congressman Pete Visclosky and I stand ready to help in any way we can,” said Biggert.

From Rep. Jan Schakowsky:

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today in response to British Petroleum’s (BP) announcement that it would not increase the amount of ammonia and suspended solids it discharges into Lake Michigan. In July, BP had obtained regulatory approval from the U.S. EPA and the State of Indiana to increase the average daily discharge limits for ammonia and suspended solids.

“Today’s announcement by a BP is a victory for the residents of all the Great Lake states and for the 30 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water.

BP’s decision to abandon its plans to dump additional waste into Lake Michigan is a direct result of the work by concerned citizens and elected officials who came together to fight to protect our most precious, natural resource.

While we should celebrate this victory today, we must also remember that this battle is not over. We still have a process in place that allows a company to easily increase the amount of pollution that it can discharge into the Great Lakes.

I strongly believe that we need to change the entire approval process to make sure that this type of situation never happens again. I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to support and pass my bill, H.R. 3360, the Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Act. The bill would put safeguards in place to prohibit one state from dumping into a shared Great Lake without the consent of all the bordering states.

We should learn from this mistake and permanently change the law to make it more difficult for companies to get this type of approval in the future. Unfortunately, there is still nothing stopping BP from using this permit in the future once the public pressure and media attention subside.”

Kirk: BP Made the Right Decision to Back Down on Their Lake Dumping Plan

Now Indiana Should Pull the Unused Permit

NORTHBROOK, ILL. - This morning, BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone announced the BP will halt its plan to dump more pollution into Lake Michigan as part of a $3.8 billion expansion of the Whiting, Ind., refinery. The following statement regarding the announcement should be attributed to U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.):

"More than a month ago, we learned of BP's plan to dump 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more total suspended solids into Lake Michigan. The more than 30 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water can rest easier today now that BP has stopped its plan to increase pollution in our lake. I believe BP backed down for three reasons. First, tens of thousands of Americans signed petitions against BP. Second, Congress was moving to pass our bill that would cancel $400 million in tax credits for BP. Third, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory showed BP that they could contain their pollution.

"As we move forward, we need to work to change our laws to ensure that similar situations do not occur in the future. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management failed the people of the Midwest in issuing BP a permit to increase water pollution. In the coming months, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to address the improvement of the Clean Water Act. It's not enough to simply maintain water quality. We must work to improve and clean our drinking water. The Great Lakes are our most important natural resource and we should treat them so."