Ex-EPA Official Faults Probe of BP Alaska Oil Spill

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Wall Street Journal

The former head of an EPA criminal probe into pipeline spills at a BP PLC oil field in Alaska claims the Justice Department prematurely shut down the investigation and settled with the company for less than the case may have warranted.

The Environmental Protection Agency in early 2007 considered seeking penalties of as much as $672 million and possible felony charges against BP for the 2006 spills, depending on what the probe uncovered, the former EPA official and EPA agree. The possible fine was based on variables such as how much money BP saved by not performing pipeline maintenance.

BP admitted in October 2007 to the lack of maintenance in a plea agreement to a lesser misdemeanor charge. It agreed in federal court in Alaska to plead guilty to the misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act, to be fined $20 million and to serve three years probation.

Scott West, a former special agent-in-charge of the EPA's criminal-investigation division in Seattle who supervised a team of investigators, said he needed as much as another year to determine if, in fact, "there was sufficient evidence to charge BP with a felony." Mr. West said his agents still had large volumes of evidence to go through to make that determination.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122706017166039657.html

[Arctic Dave]

1. If there is such a thing as criminal neglect, BP should be indicted. IMHO