Environment & Energy

Judi Lynn

(160,555 posts) Sun Nov 18, 2012, 05:17 PM Nov 2012

BP Will "Kill Again," Former EPA Officials, Attorney Says

BP Will "Kill Again," Former EPA Officials, Attorney Says
Sunday, 18 November 2012 08:27 By Jason Leopold, Truthout | Report

Is a record $4.5 billion fine, guilty pleas to 14 charges and the indictment of three employees enough of a deterrent to stop "serial environmental criminal" BP from placing profits before safety?

If history is any guide, Scott West believes the answer is a resounding, "No."

West is a former veteran special agent-in-charge at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division. In 2006, he led an investigation into BP and the oil behemoth's senior officials for alleged crimes associated with an oil spill that year at BP's Prudhoe Bay operations on Alaska's North Slope, one of which spilled more than 200,000 gallons of oil across two acres of frozen tundra - the second largest spill in Alaska's history, which went undetected for a week.

West, who was profiled in an investigative report published in Truthout a month after the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf that killed 11 rig workers, said he felt an ongoing investigation would have revealed enough evidence to convict the company and "very senior officials on felony charges . . . . The Bush DOJ shut it down before it had reached any logical conclusion," West told Truthout "My investigation should have lasted another two years or so."

More:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/12815-bp-will-kill-again-former-epa-officials-attorney-says

4 replies

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BP Will "Kill Again," Former EPA Officials, Attorney Says (Original Post) Judi Lynn Nov 2012 OP

As long as some people make money off this business model, the body count will keep going up. freshwest Nov 2012 #1

Agreed. AverageJoe90 Nov 2012 #2

Do you remember their 'remember the poor pensioners' defense they put up. freshwest Nov 2012 #3

very true. n/t AverageJoe90 Nov 2012 #4

freshwest

(53,661 posts)

1. As long as some people make money off this business model, the body count will keep going up.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Sun Nov 18, 2012, 05:34 PM

Nov 2012

Appreciate very much this man for speaking out.

AverageJoe90

(10,745 posts)

2. Agreed.

Reply to freshwest (Reply #1)

Sun Nov 18, 2012, 07:14 PM

Nov 2012

BP's criminal irresponsibility has done enough damage. I just hope that other lawsuit goes forward.....last I heard, BP would have to pay to the tune of another ~$20 billion if found guilty.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)

3. Do you remember their 'remember the poor pensioners' defense they put up.

Reply to AverageJoe90 (Reply #2)

Sun Nov 18, 2012, 08:04 PM

Nov 2012

One of the problems with these termites in the world systems of governance and economic systems, is they have used our work to improve the lot of mankind through trade and technology, to feed off the whole and do awful things to the people and the planet.

And when they go down, they take millions of people with them. It will require those who are wise enough to ferret these destroyers out. And some honesty about where we want to go as a species. BP is the descendant of corporations that did dirty deeds to fuel industries we have grown to depend on.

I don't blame one person, company or country for these actions. They are all of us. That's when it becomes like the insect who tried to get out of the tree sap before it became fossilized amber. Very sticky sort of business, only way to escape is to not get stuck. We can and will as a species find other way to do what needs to be done.

AverageJoe90

(10,745 posts)

4. very true. n/t

Reply to freshwest (Reply #3)

Mon Nov 19, 2012, 07:01 PM

Nov 2012

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