WHITING | BP Whiting Refinery officials say the plant's future hinges on a state permit that would allow the release of more of certain pollutants into Lake Michigan.

The refinery would stay well under federal standards after reconfiguring to process Canadian crude oil, BP officials said at a hearing on the permit Thursday night at Whiting City Hall.

"It's part and parcel to what we have to do to continue to operate," said Rees Madsen, a BP environmental adviser.

BP plans a "mega-project" to process more crude oil from Canada, said Daniel J. Sajkowski, BP Whiting business unit leader. The crude oil from Canada differs from the oil the refinery now processes, Sajkowski said. The project will create new jobs, and BP will continue to focus on environmental health and safety, he said.

The plant plans to build a new diffuser apparatus that would reduce pollutant concentrations.

The Canadian crude project will put more ammonia into the water, but the refinery will still not come close to federal limits on ammonia release, said Steve Roush, a policy analyst for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. BP officials like to keep emissions at 20 percent to 40 percent of limits, Madsen said.

IDEM worked with BP on the wastewater permit and IDEM has the final decision on the permit's approval, Roush said. A public comment period on the permit runs out May 11.

A few people among the crowd of 20 to 30 at Thursday's meeting voiced concerns over the permit.

Environmentalist Lee Botts said she was "struck" by BP asking for the wastewater permit before agencies could sign off on the diffuser.

The wastewater permit would run out in three years, Roush said.

Others expressed concerns over IDEM's discretion over the permit, the precedent the permit might set and the safety of Whiting's water.