One story, two sides

There is some controversy right now about a recent article published by the Chicago Tribune about a BP factory in Whiting, Indiana getting special permits by the state to allow higher limits on the amount of ammonia and sludge allowed to be dumped into Lake Michigan. BP has countered the Tribune article with their own Fact Sheet stating that even the higher levels granted by the state are still well within federal limits, that they are creating more jobs for the community, and that they are creating a modern technology to treat the crude oil that will have less impact on people and the environment.

While the Chicago Tribune article does seem like a bit of an attack on BP, their fact sheet is a clear rebuttal to the article, when they might have done better to sue the newspaper if they were misrepresenting facts about BP. The Fort Wayne Sentinal also printed an objective article on the topic, with much more factual data to support both sides of the story.

It seems that when it comes to the state environmental issues, the rules may be bent if there are positive impacts to the community, such as creating new jobs. While this project will create eighty new jobs and lessen our dependence on the Middle East for oil, it still seems like a Band-Aid solution. What we should be focusing on is research on alternative fuels because we all know that oil is a limited resource that will be completely used up eventually. No one knows exactly when, but it will happen in my lifetime I am sure. I know it is silly to think that a petroleum company would support such research, but there must be a way that those people can keep their jobs while changing their focus to alternative fuels. I can dream, can't I?