Truthout: Senior Employees "Screwed" by BP (oil)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26176-senior-employees-screwed-by-bp

Monday, 15 September 2014 09:34
By Dahr Jamail, Truthout | Report



Image: BP logo, business stress via Shutterstock; Edited: JR/TO)


In early September US District Judge Carl Barbier found BP guilty of gross negligence, or "more reckless and extreme behavior" for their 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, which was the single largest marine oil spill in US history.

Barbier, who is based in New Orleans, wrote that the oil giant had taken measures to cut costs despite obvious safety risks, and mentioned that some of BP's decisions "evince an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risks."

BP now faces a penalty of as much as $4,300 for each barrel of oil spilled, exposing the oil company to an additional $18 billion in fines. That is nearly quadruple the maximum civil fine had the finding been simple negligence.

Barbier's decision prompted the UK government to tell US Supreme Court judges that decisions to authorize payments to people who were not injured by the spill raises "grave international comity concerns by undermining confidence in the vigorous and fair resolution of disputes."

FULL story at link.