WASHINGTON—A subsidiary of BP Plc. will pay a record-setting $40 million penalty to settle civil U.S. charges that its Indiana-based oil refinery violated federal laws aimed at curbing emissions of cancer-causing benzene in wastewater and other harmful pollutants, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said on Wednesday.
The DOJ will require the oil major to make significant investments to curb benzene pollution at its 134 year old Whiting, Indiana refinery, which has a history of violating federal regulations limiting benzene in refinery wastewater streams.
The settlement between BP Products North America Inc., the Justice Department, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also require the company to invest approximately $197 million in new technology and other capital improvements to reduce air pollution….