Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Department of Justice Seeks $16 billion in BP Penalties

The Department of Justice says BP is entitled to only the "most modest" reduction from the maximum penalties in the Gulf oil spill case now about to enter the penalty phase.  In a reply BP and Anadarko declare that BP has made "extraordinary efforts" which the court should take into account, along with the economic impact on BP Exploration in the current low oil price environment. - GWC
DOJ pushes for at least $16 billion in BP spill trial- POLITICO.com:

The Justice Department is pushing major penalties under the Clean Water Act for charges related to the 2010 BP spill — preferably between $16 billion and the maximum $18 billion, government attorneys said in a pre-trial statement  filed on Friday, December 19, 2014. “If ever there was a case that merits the statutory maximum, this is it,” DOJ wrote, yielding that the court might consider factoring in money paid by the BP Group for criminal fines and mitigation expenses, but arguing that spending should not lower the penalties below $16 billion. In the filing, DOJ lays out its plans to battle BP arguments that the spill didn’t actually cause as much environmental damage “as had been feared,” and that money spent by parent of the BP subsidiary directly involved in the lawsuit should count toward lowering the penalty. 

No comments:

Post a Comment