After odiferous leak at refinery, Whiting, Indiana neighbors demand better communication from BP

    WHITING, Indiana (WBBM) -- Neighbors living near the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana called Tuesday night from more transparency from the oil giant.

They said a leak this past Christmas made some of them sick. While local officials assure the neighbors everything is safe, they also agree communication could be better.

A meeting between BP and residents was held Monday. CBS News Chicago was banned from the meeting.

But Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar was at the meeting, and said the leak started in what is known as the Indiana Tank Field—with a quarter-sized hole that went unnoticed until enough of the odor collected.

The smell was strong enough eventually to raise concerns when it carried to downtown Chicago. Addressing the Whiting City Council nearly two weeks after the leak, residents were still upset by the lack of communication.

"We are not being told accurate information, or any information at all," one woman, Kim, told the council.

"I don't know what to do other than to come here and beg you to do something about it," resident Grace Tafolla said.

Mayor Spebar acknowledged BP told area leaders about the leak, but a message with that information never went out on their Smart 911 system.

"If the county does not declare it to be hazardous, that is the flaw right now—you don't get notified," Spebar said.

Carolyn Marsh, co-administrator for the BP and Whiting Watch Facebook group, was not satisfied with this explanation.

"They keep apologizing and they say that it is a work in progress—the notification system. Well, the plant has been there 135 years," she said. "Sounds to me like you should be able to get a notification.

Some residents said they feel the number of issues at the BP plant is increasing—pointing to February 2024, when a power outage forced evacuate workers, flare the stacks, and burn off remaining fuel and relieve pressure.

CBS News Chicago found the BP Whiting facility had three complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2024. Two have been closed, while one from October is still open.

But neighbors say the December leak affected their health.

"It made both of us physically ill," said Alexis Spencer, who lives near the refinery. "Like we were over here, gagging, throwing up, all types of stuff."

Spencer and her fiancé, Marvin Leavy, can see the refinery from her front door—for now.

"At the end of the day, you know, everybody's got to live somewhere and stuff like that," Leavy said, "so we're just trying to make the best of it, you know what I'm saying, until I can go other-where."

Residents at that meeting also said they are concerned about plans for a new pipeline project dubbed the "hydrogen hub." But the mayor said he believes that project is held up and will not move forward this year.