BP executives sought to blame "blue collar rig workers": U.S.

Originally posted by David Ingram - Reuters - September 7, 2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP executives wanted to concentrate blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster on "blue collar rig workers" in order to save themselves, U.S. government lawyers wrote in a court document that until Thursday was partially redacted.

BP agrees to pay $13M for Texas refinery penalties

WASHINGTON — Oil giant BP has agreed to pay an additional $13 million to settle charges of failing to fix safety violations at its Texas City oil refinery after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers.

Statement From Brent Coon on BP Settlement With OSHA Regarding Fines For Safety Violation Stemming From 2005 Texas City Explosion

We are pleased to see that OSHA is still closely monitoring the work to improve the conditions of the BP Texas City facility, with focus on the condition of the relief valve systems, which are critical to safe operations in refineries.

The failure to properly monitor such relief systems in the past have contributed to a number of incidents in that facility, most notably the explosion in March of 2005 which killed 15 people. This is yet another step in a long delayed process to return the BP Texas City facility to safe operating conditions. BP failed to honor the settlement agreement entered into with OSHA in 2007 and failed to honor the terms of their DOJ plea agreement as well. While the additional fines for those failures help add pressure to the management of BP to speed up their safety improvements and maintenance practices, the failure to prosecute management personnel individually has allowed the company to act with less haste than it would have otherwise.

U.S. to announce settlement with BP over Texas City refinery

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. workplace safety regulators plan to announce a settlement on Thursday with BP Plc's U.S. refining subsidiary over safety violations found at the company's Texas City, Texas, refinery in 2009, according to a statement issued Wednesday.

BP agrees to pay Texas $50 million for pollution

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc's U.S. subsidiary has agreed to pay $50 million in civil penalties to the state of Texas for pollution from its Texas City refinery, including the deadly March 2005 explosion, state Attorney General Greg Abbott said on Thursday.

BP to sell Texas City refinery

Beaumont Enterprise

BP announced Tuesday it plans to sell its Texas City and Carson, Calif. refineries, cutting its U.S. refining capacity in half.

Beaumont attorney Brent Coon, who represented plaintiffs in a lawsuit against BP after the company's 2005 Texas City refinery explosion, said it's not clear how the facility's ongoing probation status under a federal criminal settlement will impact the sale.

BP to divest half its U.S. refining capacity

Reuters

BP Plc put half its U.S. refining assets up for sale on Tuesday, including the huge Texas City plant, a potentially prize asset but one that carries the stigma of a 2005 blast that killed 15 workers.

Half-Baked Justice? Corporate Prosecutions Are All Over the Map

Law.com

The initials BP are by now a household word. It is a name that in the public mind at least has become synonymous with longtime legal, environmental, and safety issues.

DOJ Refuses to Revoke BP's Probation Over Safety Violations at Texas City Refinery

Truthout.org

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has refused to pursue a probation revocation case against BP after the company was found to have violated a federal judge's March 2009 felony judgment, which required BP to fulfill the terms of a settlement agreement it entered into with government regulators five years ago to make certain safety upgrades at its Texas City refinery by September 2009, according to documents obtained by Truthout.

BP’s Probation Over Fatal Texas Blast Won’t Be Revoked by U.S.

Businessweek

BP Plc’s probation for violating a plea deal that resolved the company’s criminal liability for a fatal 2005 explosion at its Texas City, Texas, refinery won’t be revoked by the U.S. Justice Department.