A major renovation of the British Petroleum (BP) refinery in Whiting, IN, is now in the planning stages. The goal of this renovation is to give the refinery the ability to process the thick, heavy crude oil from Canada.

Many would think that this renovation is a great idea, as it could help curb our reliance on oil from unstable places like the Middle East and Venezuela. Yet, many residents in the area are speaking out against BP’s plan because if they go through wit it, the levels of their pollution output into Lake Michigan will increase.

Before environmentalists jump to conclusions on this issue, it should be noted that even with the increased pollution, BP’s output would still be far within the range of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Some may say that the EPA is being too lenient, but keep in mind that this is the same government agency that forbids us to burn leaves in the fall and nearly has a heart attack when we step on an endangered flower. If they approve of the plan, then it must not be very dangerous to the environment.

I might also mention the types of pollutants that will be dumped. Since the Canadian crude is a less pure form of oil, more excess chemicals need to be processed out to convert it into fuel. Thus, these excess chemicals—all of them naturally occurring in the earth—will increase the output in the lake.

It’s not like the refinery will be dumping processed chemicals. In fact, since all of the increased pollutants will be solely natural pollutants, some of them may already be in the lake.

For those not yet convinced that BP’s plan is safe, consider this: even with the increased pollution, BP’s output will still be, at the most, a tenth of what the output is for the many towns and cities bordering the lake. In fact, U.S. Steel’s daily output is about 40 times as much as BP’s will be. Yet, everyone is still targeting BP.

There is no doubt that it is important to take care of the environment, but attacking a well-thought out plan like BP’s is not the way to do it. If environmentalists really want to make a difference, they should get their priorities straight first.