The Bellingham Herald

BP Cherry Point will soon hire between 60 and 80 people as part of a restructuring move for the oil company.

The new jobs are a wide range of support positions, including marketing and finance, and are a result of the BP’s anticipated sale of its Los Angeles Refinery and Texas City refineries, said Michael Abendhoff, a spokesman for the BP Cherry Point. The other two refineries, particularly in Los Angeles, have positions that are shared with Cherry Point, and BP wants to make sure those positions are filled in Whatcom County before a sale is completed.

“It’s a positive for Whatcom County to be adding these jobs during a restructuring,” Abendhoff said, adding that he expects the company to be taking applications in the coming weeks, with positions being filled in early 2012.

BP announced in February its intention to sell its Los Angeles refinery, which is in Carson, Calif. and its Texas City, Texas refinery. The sale of those refineries will cut BP’s refining capacity in half, according to a company press release issued in February. The company also plans to divest itself from the ARCO brand and retain ownership of the ampm brand. The company plans to complete the sales by the end of 2012.

Abendhoff said they are still working out where to put the additional employees at the Cherry Point facility, but expect to do some minor construction work to add office space.

This article will be updated online later today.