Plans nixed for BP asphalt plant
(http://www.post-trib.com/1129553,asphalt.article)

August 27, 2008

By GITTE LAASBY Post-Tribune staff writer

HAMMOND — BP Whiting has scrapped its plans for an asphalt plant in Hammond.

In a letter to the city of Hammond, the refinery has withdrawn its petition for conditional use and developmental variance for a property at 1304 129th St. across from the Lost Marsh Golf Course.

“At this point, BP has exercised its right to withdraw its petitions that are currently before the Hammond board,” BP spokesman Tom Keilman told the Post-Tribune Wednesday morning.

He said BP is considering whether and where to build another plant.

“We’re currently reviewing our options in terms of the asphalt operations,” he said.

Keilman acknowledged that the city of Hammond had a number of conditions for granting the petition, including requirements to monitor emissions, but he would not comment on whether requirements had anything with BP canceling its plans.

Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. said he felt he had no choice but to put conditions on granting the request because the asphalt plant would harm the community.

“We didn’t really support it. I support the expansion but the part of moving the asphalt plant to where they wanted in Hammond, we didn’t like it,” McDermott Jr. said. “There was a lot of concern about the health issues. There’s been studies that this can cause cancer clusters in the neighborhood around it. It doesn’t make sense you take that and move it closer to a neighborhood. I didn’t want that to be my legacy if I found out 20 years from now that kids got sick.”

The zoning issue was on the agenda of tonight’s meeting of the Hammond board of zoning appeals.

For more details, read tomorrow’s Post-Tribune.

Contact Gitte Laasby at 648-2183 or glaasby@post-trib.com. Comment on this story at www.post-trib.com.