Mich. Court Upholds Penalty Against BP N. America

A Michigan judge says the state Department of Environmental Quality acted properly in collecting $869,150 in penalties from BP Products North America Inc.

The DEQ announced the fine in June 2007, saying BP failed to submit required reports related to cleanup of gasoline contamination from underground storage tanks at eight of its former gasoline stations in Michigan.

The DEQ said in a Monday statement that Ingham County Circuit Judge James R. Giddings ruled the agency's actions were justified.

Two of the leaking underground storage tanks are in Kalamazoo, with one each in East Grand Rapids, East Lansing, Okemos, Rockford, Roseville and St. Johns.

BP spokesman Scott Dean says Giddings' ruling will have no effect on the company's ongoing cleanup work in Michigan.

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On the Net:

Department of Environmental Quality, http://www.michigan.gov/deq

BP PLC: http://www.bp.com

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