Reuters: Civil fine in Gulf spill could be $4,300 barrel

[tuvor]

A clause buried deep in the U.S. Clean Water Act may expose BP and others to civil fines that aren't limited to any finite cap -- unlike a $75 million limit on compensation for economic damages. The Act allows the government to seek civil penalties in court for every drop of oil that spills into U.S. navigable waters, including the area of BP's leaking well.

As a result, the U.S. government could seek to fine BP or others up to $4,300 for every barrel leaked into the U.S. Gulf, according to legal experts and official documents.

So far, analysts and experts calculating potential oil spill liabilities have mostly concentrated on the cost of the clean-up and compensation for economic damages to affected parties. Some have also discussed criminal liabilities.

But the potential for civil fines has received scant attention -- and they could add up very quickly, depending on how aggressive the U.S. government is in pursuing them.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O75Q20100526

[BrklynLiberal]

1. another reason for BP to make every effort to keep the barrel count down as low as they can.

They will do EVERYTHING in their power to hide the full extent of this crime..and its consequences..

[xultar]

2. My thoughts exactly, they didn't want that underwater feed for a reason.