Feds Let BP Off Probation Despite Pending Safety Violations
BP’s refining subsidiary was released today from criminal probation related to a 2005 explosion in Texas City that killed 15 workers.
The company has addressed the most serious safety deficiencies exposed by the accident and satisfied the terms of a felony plea agreement to settle charges that it failed to protect workers from known risks, a U.S. Justice Department spokesman said.
The move closes a controversial chapter for the company, but it leaves an array of worker-safety issues unresolved. BP is still negotiating over more than 400 additional violations brought against its Texas City refinery separately from the criminal case.
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Feds File First Criminal Charges Related to BP Gulf Spill
The charges against former BP engineer Kurt Mix are expected to be the first step in an ongoing investigation that could reach into the executive suite.
A Punishment BP Can’t Pay Off
What is missing is a criminal prosecution that holds BP individuals responsible.
BP Settlement Leaves Most Complex Claims Unresolved
BP has agreed to pay $7.8 billion to compensate Gulf Coast residents damaged in a massive 2010 oil spill, but the company still faces a criminal investigation and a battery of state lawsuits and federal claims
‘Spillionaires’ Powerbroker Loses Re-election Bid
Craig Taffaro Jr., president of Louisiana’s St. Bernard parish, who had been accused of favoritism in awarding work after the BP oil spill, loses to a candidate promising reform.
Latest BP Spill in Alaska Was Foreshadowed in Risk Assessment Last Year
A section of the BP pipeline that leaked thousands of gallons of methanol and oily wastewater into the Alaskan tundra on Saturday was flagged by the company more than a year ago as so corroded it presented an imminent threat of rupture.
Spillionaires Revisited: Gov’t Official’s Associates Got Big Contracts After the BP Oil Spill
Craig Taffaro, president of Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish, has denied allegations in an earlier ProPublica story, but new reporting shows that longtime associates got lucrative spill-related work—and then they helped raise money for his re-election.
Chief Offshore Drilling Regulator Criticizes Lack of Oversight for Contractors
The top U.S. regulator of offshore oil drilling said it made no sense that his agency is not conducting direct oversight of contractors who work on offshore oil rigs.
Gulf’s Delacroix Islanders Watch As Their World Disappears
The BP oil spill is just the latest disaster to hit a fishing community that has struggled with hurricanes, erosion and competition from cheap imports. The fishermen ask themselves about the future and worry that they may be the last of their kind.
‘Spillionaires’: Profiteering and Mismanagement in the Wake of the BP Oil Spill
Some people profited by charging BP outrageous rates for cleanup. Others profited from BP claims money, handed out in arbitrary ways. Meanwhile, others hurt by the spill ended up getting much less.
Gulf Claims Chief Announces Payment Plan That Assumes Quick Recovery
Gulf spill paymaster Kenneth Feinberg today released a draft of his long-awaited methodology for deciding payments on final claims for damages from the BP oil spill.
Gulf Claims Czar Makes Mixed Progress on Transparency Pledges
Gulf spill paymaster Kenneth Feinberg has made mixed progress in carrying out his transparency promises.
Déjà-vu? The National Commission Report on BP’s Gulf Disaster Echoes Old Findings
A sneak-peek chapter from the national commission's report on the BP Gulf disaster didn’t actually conclude anything new.
The BP Oil Spill Saga: Where Things Stand Now
More than eight months after the start of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, we assess where things stand now with accountability and look back at how the disaster has changed the Gulf and shifted the nation’s regulatory regime.
Where Things Stand: Gulf Oil Spill Claims
One of the central pieces of BP’s program to make amends after the Gulf oil spill disaster was a claims system to compensate individuals and businesses that lost money. Although nearly $3 billion has been paid out, there have been chronic delays that have caused frustration and serious economic hard
Gulf Spill Paymaster Acknowledges Transparency Problems and Outlines Fixes
Kenneth Feinberg said he recognized shortcomings in communicating with claimants and promised to give them more information going forward.
Oil Spill Commission’s Missing Document Adds Insight to Gulf Investigation
A new document uncovered last week might help to clear up some confusion over comments made earlier this month by the Oil Spill Commission's chief counsel.Anonymous Tipline
If you work for BP or a contractor on a rig in the Gulf, or anywhere else, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us about your work conditions, your management, and your observations of what is happening. We will not publish your identity. Call 917-512-0254, fax documents to 212-514-5250 or e-mail Abrahm.Lustgarten@propublica.org.
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Dafna Linzer Discusses Why Clarence Aaron Can’t Get His Sentenced Commuted
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