CHICAGO — Frustrated that U.S. oil refineries are still allowed to dump massive amounts of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into lakes and rivers, environmental groups are urging a federal court to order more stringent regulation of some of the nation’s biggest polluters.
A petition filed Tuesday accuses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of violating the federal Clean Water Act by failing to require standards reflecting current pollution-control technologies for refiners and six other industries.
The legal action comes three months after the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project found some of the worst polluters are in the Chicago area.
