Thanks to an EPA crackdown on the oil refining industry, two of the largest oil refiners in the U.S., BP Amoco and Koch Industries, have reached a breakthrough agreement with the government under which the companies will spend nearly $600 million to tackle air-pollution problems at 12 facilities around the nation. EPA Administrator Carol Browner praised the two companies for voluntarily entering into negotiations with the feds after the EPA began investigating oil refineries for possible air-pollution violations, and she warned that other refining companies should step forward for similar negotiations if they want to avoid court battles. The EPA is also investigating paper mills and coal-burning power plants.
