Justice Department deal reduces BP's Deepwater Horizon fine by $3.4bn

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/20/justice-department-bp-fine-reduced


Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Alabama, in June 2010. Photograph: Dave Martin/AP



BP has shaved $3.4bn off the maximum fine for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.

A court order, handed down by a judge in New Orleans, means BP will no longer be liable for a maximum of $21bn in fines at next week's civil trial – after a judge ruled the oil company would not have to pay for 810,000 barrels of oil collected at the source of the broken well.

The oil company had been facing up to $21bn in fines in the civil case, based on the amount of oil that gushed into the Gulf following the fatal blowout of its well.

The federal government estimates that about 4.9m barrels of oils were released before BP engineers sealed off the well three months later.

[Demeter]

1. It's an OUTRAGE!

[gtar100]

2. I'm sure this is not the end of BP trying to weasel out of its responsibilities.

It's second nature to these people that run large corporations to dodge responsibility as much as possible. What they have done to the Gulf of Mexico is reprehensible (and that's putting it mildly). But true to form, in the background they are doing everything they can to avoid taking full responsibility for what they have done while at the same time they are blasting out commercials on radio and TV praising themselves for being so wonderful and caring. They can shine their public image all they want; it won't hide the crimes against nature they have wrought. When I hear or see those commercials I only feel disgust.

Seriously, the whole oil industry is culpable in the destruction of our environment. In my opinion, all proceeds of their operations should go toward cleaning up the messes they make and not one penny goes to profit until they've made right all the problems they have caused. Do we ask any less of individuals?

[appal_jack]

3. Greedygrubbingevilratbastardmotherfuckers. k&r, n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

4. About time those poor guys got a break.