The Department of Transportation is declaring a regional energy emergency following a fire at an Indiana oil refinery.
The order clears the way for immediate transportation of various types of fuel in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. This allows the states to bypass certain federal regulations to handle the emergency. BP shut down units affected by an electrical fire at the refinery Wednesday. The facility on Lake Michigan just south of Chicago processes more than 430-thousand barrels of oil per day when fully operational.