WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - The two U.S. Senators onThursday requested a meeting with BP after this week'soil spill into Lake Michigan from the company's Whiting,Indiana, refinery.
Senators Mark Kirk, a Republican and Dick Durbin, aDemocrat, both from Illinois, asked for details on the cause ofMonday's spill, an analysis of the impact of the refinery'sproduction increase, and information on what is being done toprevent future spills.
"Given the Whiting refinery's recent expansion of itsoperations to double the amount of heavy oil sands beingprocessed, this spill raises questions about the long-termsafety and reliability of BP's new, expanded production," thesenators wrote to John Minge, CEO, BP America Inc.
Between 9 and 18 barrels (378-756 gallons) of oil spilledinto Lake Michigan after a malfunction, the U.S. Coast Guardsaid on Wednesday. (Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by Sandra Maler)