Government to settle with BP for Gulf spew soon

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From Public Citizen Letter in my mailbox 8/25/12:

BP and the government could reach a settlement for the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history in a matter of days.

Various investigations into the disaster concluded that BP put its bottom line before safety.

What is the toll of putting profits before people?

In the case of the BP Gulf oil disaster, the true extent of the damage may not be known for many years to come. But we do know that:

11 workers were killed and 16 more were seriously injured;
Gulf Coast states have suffered approximately $40 billion in economic losses;
Health problems associated with the disaster will likely cost an additional $10 billion; and
The oil disaster resulted in the destruction of thousands of birds, sea turtles, marine mammals and other aquatic life and habitats.
There is no financial penalty big enough to compensate for all the damage done by one of the worst environmental corporate criminals in the world, but the government still must make full use of its authority to secure maximum fines and sanctions against BP.

Tell President Obama to hold BP accountable.

In the early days of the crisis, President Obama pledged to hold BP accountable for the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, and BP pledged to make the Gulf Coast and its communities whole.

Two years later, the government and BP are reportedly on the brink of reaching a settlement that would resolve all civil and criminal damages and liabilities arising from the spill.

Any settlement must reflect those early promises — full recovery of the Gulf Coast region and its communities. It also must deter other companies from putting profits before safety.

Sign our petition to hold BP accountable, and view a full list of criteria that must be applied to any settlement negotiations.

http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11486

BP is a corporate criminal with a long rap sheet of safety and environmental violations. Past fines have not deterred this repeat offender from cost-cutting and putting its workers and the environment at risk.

It’s time for the government to send a definitive message that corporate disregard for safety and environmental regulations won’t be tolerated.

Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,

Allison Fisher
Public Citizen’s Climate and Energy Program

[Scuba]

1. Here's a short list of things I would demand in any settlement with BP...

Every asset they have in the U.S.