There were new developments today in two stories we've been following here at Progress Illinois.

Expansion of BP Refinery

A petition from two environmental groups -- the Calumet Project and the Global Community Monitor -- has been sent to the Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication asking that judges halt the expansion of BP's oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana. The Times (of Munster, IN) reports that the petition highlights the potential impact of the increased pollution on the health of nearby low-income and minority neighborhoods:

The complaint alleges the Indiana Department of Environmental Management did not allow the public ample time to review the permit and states that the permit fails to protect nearby poor and minority residents. The petition claims the permit "illegally limited the public participation" by reducing the comment period by 12 days.

Because of a filing issue, the courts are yet to review the petition. However, if the environmentalists' request for a stay of construction is granted, BP will have to temporarily halt the $3.8 billion project. The company began expanding the plant on May 1, the same day the Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved the project. As we reported earlier, Hoosiers aren't the only ones with reservations about the refinery. Illinois lawmakers also requested public hearings about the expansion before it began.

Great Lakes Compact

Lawmakers in Michigan are hoping to vote on the ratification of the Great Lakes Compact sometime in the next couple of weeks, though there are still major negotiations taking place between Democrats and Republicans about the bill's language. The compact is an agreement between the eight Great Lakes states (as well as Ontario and Quebec) designed to keep the water of the great lakes from being siphoned out of the region. After an intense back-and-forth, the compact was ratified by Wisconsin in April. If it passes in Michigan, two states will remain that have not ratified the agreement -- Ohio and Pennsylvania.