BP Amoco Settling Clean-Air Case

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) â€” BP Amoco will spend an estimated $650 million to settle a federal clean-air lawsuit by cutting ozone-producing pollutants at its eight domestic oil refineries.

As part of a consent decree approved in U.S. District Court in Hammond Thursday, BP will install state-of-the-art pollution-control equipment and pay $10 million to the U.S. Treasury to improve air quality and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

The lawsuit, filed by the Environmental Protection Agency, alleged BP violated several clean air laws at the company's eight refineries in Whiting, Ind.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Bellingham, Wash.; Mandan, N.D.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Toledo, Ohio; Texas City, Texas; and Yorktown, Va.

Environmentalists hailed the agreement, which would cut production of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, major contributors to ground-level ozone, or smog.

``This will have a big impact on the ozone,'' said Russ Grunden, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Ozone can cause breathing problems for the elderly and people with asthma and respiratory illnesses.

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On the Net:

BP Amoco: http://www.bp.com/

Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/