Gulf coast oil spill

[classicman]

What he found when he took over the BP fund on Aug. 23, he says, was staggering: data in disarray, duplicate claims, identical claims under different names and thousands of claims with inadequate or no documentation.

Gee fraud and greed? Color me shocked - not.

Mr. Feinberg said that the British oil giant, which is responsible for the spill that began two months ago, deserves "credit" for setting up a claims program quickly, and that he would seek to improve the "efficiency, the speed and the fairness of that program."

That'll never make the 6:00 news.

The government-appointed administrator of BP PLC's $20 billion fund for oil-spill damage said Friday that he would run his own show as he seeks to improve the claims process set up by the company.

BP is off the hook.

"This is a program that has my imprimatur on it, not the administration or BP," Kenneth Feinberg said at a joint press conference with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. "It is my program as an independent force."

He may be the administrator, but he certainly has to answer to someone and that can only be those who appointed him.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by classicman

BP is off the hook.

It's Obama's fault

[classicman]

ultimately, yeh I guess you could say that.

[Clodfobble]

Unless you meant, like "BP is off the hook, yo!"

[classicman]

lol

[Lamplighter]

BBC News
11/15/12

BP to get record US criminal fine over Deepwater disaster

BP is set to receive a record fine of between $3bn and $5bn (£1.9bn-£3.2bn)
to settle criminal charges related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, the BBC has learnt.

It will be the biggest criminal penalty in US history, BBC business editor Robert Peston says
The settlement with the Department of Justice involves BP pleading guilty to criminal charges.
It is thought that up to four BP staff may be arrested, Robert Peston says.<snip>

BP said that any deal would not include a range of other claims
including individual and federal claims for damages under the Clean Water Act,
and state claims for economic loss.

The settlement is much bigger than the largest previous corporate criminal penalty
assessed by the Department of Justice, the $1.2bn fine imposed on drug maker Pfizer in 2009.<snip>

BP has booked provisions of $38.1bn to cover its liabilities from the incident,
but the company has said the final cost remained highly uncertain.<snip>

BP has settled all claims with Anadarko and Moex, its co-owners of the oil well,
and contractor Weatherford, receiving $5.1bn cash settlements from the three firms,
which it has put into its $20bn compensation fund.

It has also reached a $7.8bn settlement with the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, a group of lawyers representing victims of the spill.

[Lamplighter]

The noose is getting tighter... using BP's $ pocketbook

Reuters
Roberta Rampton and Timothy Gardner
11/27/12

U.S. bans BP from new government contracts after oil spill deal

The U.S. government banned BP Plc from new federal contracts on Wednesday
over its "lack of business integrity" in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010,
a move that could imperil the British energy giant's U.S. footing.

The suspension, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
comes on the heels of BP's November 15 agreement with the U.S. government
to plead guilty to criminal misconduct in the Gulf of Mexico disaster,
the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
BP agreed to pay $4.5 billion in penalties, including a record $1.256 billion criminal fine.

BP and its affiliates are barred from new federal contracts until they demonstrate
they can meet federal business standards, the EPA said. The suspension is "standard practice"
and BP's existing U.S. government contracts are not affected, it said.

The EPA's suspension of contracts could push BP to settle civil litigation brought
by the U.S. government and states from the spill.
An EPA official said government-wide suspensions generally don't exceed 18 months,
but can continue longer if there are ongoing legal cases.
<snip>

[classicman]

The suspension is "standard practice"
suspensions generally don't exceed 18 months

[piercehawkeye45]

Yup. It won't be a big issue for BP.

[classicman]

"The EPA acted hours before a government auction of offshore tracts in the Gulf of Mexico, a region where BP is the largest investor and lease-holder of deep-water tracts and hopes for further growth. BP is also the top fuel supplier to the U.S. military, the largest single buyer of oil in the world."

"In a statement, BP said it has been in "regular dialogue" with the EPA, and that the agency has informed BP that it is preparing an agreement that "would effectively resolve and lift this temporary suspension." The EPA has notified BP that the draft agreement will be available soon, BP said."

[Lamplighter]

We will soon be coming to the 5th anniversary of the Macondo (Deep Water Horizon) well blowout.



I have come across a very good (lengthy) description of the time between
the blowout (4/20/10) and the well being capped and "dead" (9/19/10)

Probably not many will want to read it all (or even at all), but I found this discussion readable and interesting... HERE

The containment story thus contains two parallel threads. First, on April 20, the oil and gas industry was unprepared to respond to a deepwater blowout, and the federal government was similarly unprepared to provide meaningful supervision. Second, in a compressed timeframe, BP was able to design, build, and use new containment technologies, while the federal government was able to develop effective oversight capacity. Those impressive efforts, however, were made necessary by the failure to anticipate a subsea blowout in the first place. Both industry and government must build on knowledge acquired during the Deepwater Horizon spill to ensure that such a failure of planning does not recur.

[Lamplighter]

Protesting in here in Portland to prevent drilling in the arctic...


Protesters at St. Johns Bridge ready for showdown with Shell Oil; icebreaker sits high and dry
The Oregonian/OregonLive - 7/29/15 - Stuart Tomlinson

As authorities considered ways to remove 13 Greenpeace protesters
dangling from the St. Johns Bridge since before dawn Wednesday,
crowds of onlookers and supporters created a carnival-like atmosphere at North Portland's Cathedral Park.

Some carried signs – "Save the Polar Bears #ShellNo" – while others did park-like things
on the warm summer day – walking dogs or fishing from the dock.

To the south, Shell Oil's icebreaker MSV Fennica sat in Vigor Industrial's dry dock
on Swan Island after repairs to fix a gash in its hull. All Wednesday, the ship that is expected
to return to the Arctic to support Shell's oil-drilling work was the party guest that didn't show.
<snip>

[xoxoxoBruce]

As authorities considered ways to remove 13 Greenpeace protesters
dangling from the St. Johns Bridge since before dawn Wednesday...

That shouldn't be hard.

[Lamplighter]

6:45 am 7/30/15 - Confrontation is imminent !



The icebreaker USS Fennica is on the move in the Columbia River, with Coast Guard escort.
A movable railroad bridge has been raised. The St John's bridge was open, but now has been closed to traffic.

The Greenpeace protestors have lowered themselves closer to the river.


7:00 am:
The Fennica has stopped short of the St Johns bridge and is in a holding in place
The Coast Guard is trying to clear the kayakers out of the way - but new boaters are taking their place

7:45 am:
The Fennica appears to be turning around to go back up river.
The railroad bridge has been raised agin.
... but no one is reporting if it is defeat or a ploy.

8:00 am:
The Fennica has gone back past the railroad bridge
The St Johns bridge is back open to traffic
... so it appears one battle has been won by Greenpeace and PDX protestors.
... but it's still not the war