August 1, 2007
BY ANN ALEXANDER
Like a pious preacher caught with the secretary in a cheap motel, the oil company that spent years promising to take us “beyond petroleum” has suddenly found itself at the center of a growing storm brought on by a severe case of hypocrisy.
Instead of a public atonement, BP is digging in its heels. Odds are that this is a losing game, one that will leave both corporate and political reputations battered and broken.
BP has spent millions promoting itself as the greenest oil giant. But soon, the company plans to start dumping 1,600 pounds of ammonia and nearly 2½ tons of contaminated sludge each and every day into Lake Michigan from its refinery in Whiting, Ind., a mile from where 11 cities get their drinking water.