U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mark Kirk (R.-Ill.) have requested a meeting with oil producer BP after a newly expanded BP refinery in Whiting, Ind., spilled up to 39 barrels, or 1,638 gallons, of crude oil into Lake Michigan last week.
Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicated it's unlikely the spill poses a hazard to the lake, Durbin and Kirk are seeking assurance the refinery can operate safely now that it has doubled capacity, to 405,000 barrels per day.