The federal EPA tried making peace between environmental groups and oil company BP today. The effort stems from a controversial decision to let BP dump more ammonia from its refinery in Whiting, Indiana.  Chicago Public Radio’s Shawn Allee reports the EPA’s peace effort largely failed.

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The federal EPA wanted to find ways BP could contribute money for other, unrelated Lake Michigan environmental projects. BP said it would consider that, but environmental groups said they didn’t want BP to swap some Lake Michigan pollution for other pollution. So they suggested technical solutions BP should try.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Cameron Davis went further. He announced a lawsuit to overturn BP’s new water pollution permit.

DAVIS: We’re filing petition for appeal of the permit to make sure that those ideas really do get proper consideration as they should have in the first place.

Indiana environmental officials claim the public had plenty of time to comment on the controversial BP permit, but few people came forward to do so.

I’m Shawn Allee, Chicago Public Radio.