Transocean to Pay $1.4 billion for its Role in the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010

On January 3, 2013, the Department of Justice announced that it has reached an historic settlement with Transocean for its role in the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The $1.4 billion settlement will be paid under the Clean Water Act for civil and criminal penalties.

Much of these funds will go towards restoring the Gulf, as directed by the RESTORE Act. Gulf restoration and economic development groups lauded the announcement and issued the following statement:

“This is a great day for the Gulf environment and the communities that rely on a healthy ecosystem for their livelihoods,” said Environmental Defense Fund, Greater New Orleans Inc., National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Oxfam America and Ocean Conservancy. “We thank the Department of Justice for their leadership in holding Transocean accountable and look forward to full resolution of the case with other responsible parties, which will allow restoration efforts in the Gulf to get fully underway.”

“With this settlement, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council finally has some funding to begin implementing a comprehensive plan for ecosystem restoration that will rebuild the environment of the Gulf and the communities that rely upon it.”

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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BP Accused of Corporate Recklessness Including Willful Misconduct, Gross Neglect and Making False Statements

A recent US Justice Department court filing, accuses British Petroleum (BP) of gross neglect, as well as making false and misleading comments. The accusations stem from BP's handling of the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon that spilled 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and killed 11 workers.

The Justice Department alleges false statements and misrepresentation over BP's assertion that the Gulf Coast's natural resources are making a "robust recovery" from its massive 2010 oil spill.

The legal papers filed by the US Justice Department charge that BP is guilty of falsehoods in the $7.8 billion settlement with thousands of Gulf Coast residents and businesses harmed by the spill.

The government’s 37-page objection to BP’s legal claims say the corporate giant is guilty of a “culture of corporate recklessness” that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The challenge seeks to hold BP responsible for a wide array of environmental impacts including dying deep-sea corals, dead dolphins, sick fish and marsh oil. They also allege that BP is ignoring the long-term neurological damage to clean-up workers and other Gulf residents who were exposed to the toxic dispersant Corexit.

In another separate filing, Alabama also accuses the oil company of misrepresentation and argues that BP committed 'willful misconduct' by attempting a risky 'top kill' method to stop the 2010 spill, when it knew that method would fail.

Both the federal government and the state of Alabama are pursuing civil cases. The federal government is also pursuing an ongoing criminal investigation against BP that is expect to begin next year.

BP's TV commercials whitewash what is really going on in the wake of their unprecedented oil spill in the Gulf. It is blatantly dishonest to suggest that everything is back to normal.

The Alabama filing notes that BP misrepresented the flow rate indicating that it was 5,000 bpd (barrels per day), even though they new is was significantly higher.

The court challenge could force BP to pay billions of dollars in fines for the worst offshore oil spill in US history. At the very least it is a warning to all who would cause destruction to the environment.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Palin Blames Environmentalists for Oil Spill

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the fault of 'extreme environmentalists' who protest against oil companies, Sarah Palin said.

The former Alaskan governor said if campaigners weren't successful in prohibiting land based oil exploration in the US, companies like BP would not have to resort to deep-sea drilling and the oil spill disaster would never have happened.

Palin, who made the chant 'Drill, Baby, Drill!' famous in the 2008 presidential election, favors drilling in environmentally sensitive areas including the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In an online Facebook rant titled 'Extreme Enviros: Drill, Baby, Drill in ANWR - Now Do You Get It?' she said: 'Look, here's the deal: when you lock up our land, you outsource jobs and opportunity away from America and into foreign countries that are making us beholden to them.'

'Extreme deep water drilling is not the preferred choice to meet our country's energy needs, but your protests and lawsuits and lies about onshore and shallow water drilling have locked up safer areas,' she said.

Palin does not appear to understand that the catastrophic impacts of oil are not reserved for off shore drilling. Fossil fuels are a finite source of energy that is driving climate change. The environmental impact of burning fossil fuels and the risks associated with its exploitation, justifies the aggressive pursuit of renewable alternatives.

Rush Limbaugh's excuse may be an addiction to pain medication, Palin may simply be the victim of her own intellect.

Palin said, 'It's catching up with you. The tragic, unprecedented deep water Gulf oil spill proved.' However, what is more likely is that Palin's tragic record on the environment will one day catch up with her.
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