BP Says Sorry for Tainted Gas Issue

INDIANAPOLIS -- BP is sorry for the bad gas issue that has affected motorists in several Midwest states and the company is letting those motorists know.

The oil company took out a full-age ad in Sunday'sIndianapolis Star to apologize for the off-specification gasoline that was shipped to gas stations in areas of Indiana, Chicagoland and Milwaukee in mid-August. In the ad, BP said it is providing funds and other assistance to customers who received tainted gasoline, the newspaper reported.

The company previously set up a dedicated website, www.bpresponse.com, for motorists affected by the gasoline issues and also advised motorists to call its customer service helpline. The bad gas led BP to recall 50,000 barrels of regular gasoline that was blended at its Whiting, Ind., refinery. The problem spread to include premium and midgrade gasoline sold from its Milwaukee terminal, as CSNews Online reported.

Late last week BP said that all gasoline shipped from the BP Whiting Refinery and its network of storage terminals has been tested, meets the company's quality standards and is authorized for sale. As of that time, the company had processed 8,600 claims from motorists: 64 percent are from Indiana residents, 28 percent are from Illinois residents and 5 percent are from Wisconsin residents. An additional 3 percent of claimants are believed to have traveled through the three-state region when the off-specification fuel was in circulation, BP said.

BP could still be facing legal trouble, however. The Indiana Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation to make sure Indiana residents' rights are protected and the company faces several possible class action lawsuits, as CSNews Online reported last week.

 

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