By Gitte Laasby, Post-Tribune staff writer
A public relations official at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management called a BP official seven times leading up to a public hearing that was heavily attended by proponents of the refinery modernization.
Sandra Flum, director of community relations, also made three calls to the Northwest Indiana Forum, a private business advocacy group.
The phones calls, obtained by the Post-Tribune through public records requests, suggest IDEM might have worked with BP and economic development groups to stack the public hearing in favor of BP's controversial expansion, environmentalists say.
"I don't know that it's inappropriate" to make that number of calls, said Tom Anderson, executive director of Save the Dunes Council, "but the appearance is, the agency is working with the polluter and the (Northwest Indiana) Forum to make it look like there was a lot more support than there is support for this project and the increased pollution."
Anderson said the unusually large attendance at a March 14 hearing in Hammond, when more than 1,000 people showed up mostly in support of the permit, seemed to be a deliberate attempt to orchestrate the hearing and indicate there was more support for the permit than was actually the case.
Calls were 'informational'
Flum talked to BP's public affairs manager for the Whiting refinery, Andrew Van Chau, seven times in the month and a half leading up to the hearing, according to documents.
Four of those conversations took place over the first week of February, when the hearing was being scheduled.
Flum also made three 15-minute calls to Kay Nelson, director of environmental affairs with the Northwest Indiana Forum.
IDEM said Flum communicates with businesses and special-interest groups, such as BP and the forum, by nature of her position.
"Sandra said that her conversations with BP public affairs staff were focused on keeping them informed about our public comment process, our requirements for public notification, where we were in the public process, and the initial date and rescheduled date of the public meeting and hearing," IDEM spokeswoman Amy Hartsock wrote in an e-mail.
BP's Van Chau said his seven conversations with Flum were informational.
"Things related to the permit process," Van Chau said. "Related to how the permit works."
He referred further questions to BP spokesman Scott Dean, who wouldn't elaborate.
"I'm not going to discuss one-on-one conversations he had with the regulator," Dean said. "But I'm going to tell you it's not unusual to be talking to the company's regulator about an important project that's going to reduce overall emissions, make more gasoline and create more jobs in Northwest Indiana."
Dean said in light of criticism that BP was not open about its water permit last summer, BP wanted to make sure people knew about the air permit hearing.
Gov. Mitch Daniels' spokeswoman Jane Jankowski did not question the number of phone calls.
"IDEM makes decisions about how to work with companies that are involved in the permitting process," Jankowski wrote in an e-mail. "The permitting process is lengthy, so of course, there will be communication. If seven telephone calls over a six-week period were needed to set up a public hearing on a high-profile permit, then it's good they occurred."
In March, the Post-Tribune revealed an IDEM memo that stated BP's head of governmental affairs called Gov. Daniels' office shortly after the hearing to thank IDEM for "the best, most well run public hearing she has ever been involved in."
IDEM issued the air permit construction approval to BP on May 1.