Coast Guard Completes Review of Indiana Oil Spill

Report on March incident sent for a review of whether the company will face any penalties

Coast Guard officials say a report on the oil spill from BP's northwestern Indiana refinery has been sent for a review of whether the company will face any penalties.

Crews spent several days cleaning up oil along the Lake Michigan shoreline after the company said up to some 1,600 gallons of oil was discharged into the lake from a March 24 malfunction at the Whiting refinery.

Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens said a hearing officer in Washington will decide within a month whether BP will face any fines, penalties or corrective actions for the spill.

"We treat all spills as potentially dangerous," he said, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana. "The lake is a source of drinking water, and we take it as a serious act."

BP spokesman Scott Dean said its investigation into the spill's cause is focusing on a now-removed connection between a crude distillation unit and the cooling water system.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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