BP.docx

BP.docx

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BP

Obama:

BPagreestopay

USPresidentBarackObamaonWednesdaysaidthatBPagreedtoa20-billion-dollarfundtocoverdamagesfromtheGulfofMexicooilspill.Afterameetingwiththecompany'sexecutives,Obamasaidthemoneywouldbeputinescrowandadministeredbyathirdparty.Healsomadeitclearthatthefunddidnotimplytherewasacaponthecompany'sliability.

"BP'sliabilitiesforthespillaresignificant,andtheyacknowledgethatfact.WewillcontinuetoholdBPandallotherresponsiblepartiesaccountable,andI'mabsolutelyconfidentBPwillbeabletomeetitsobligationstotheGulfCoastandtotheAmericanPeople."

WhilepublicangeroverBPpersists,Obamasaiditisimportantthattheoilcompanysurvives."BPisastrongandviablecompany,anditisinallourintereststhatitremainsso.Sowhatthisisaboutisaccountability.Attheendofthedaythat'swhateveryAmericanwantsandexpects."

The20-billion-dollarfigureisroughlyequaltoBP'saverageannualprofitsoverthepastfouryears.Alreadymillionsofgallonsofoilhavepouredintothegulf,fallinga120milesofftheUScoastline,imperilingamulti-billion-dollarfishingindustryanddestroyingwildlifeinitsway.EmergingfromtheWhiteHouseafterthemeetingswiththepresident,BPChairmanCarl-HenricSvanbergpromisedtolookafterpeopleaffectedbythespillandtorepairdamagetotheenvironment.

"WehaveagreedtodaywiththepresidentaframeworkthatshouldassuretheAmericanpeoplethatwemean,wemeanwhatwesay."

TheBPchairmanalsomadeanefforttoapologizetothepeopleofthegulf.

"Ihearcommentsometimesthatlargeoilcompaniesallaregreedycompaniesthatdon'tcare,butthatisnotthecaseinBP.Wecareaboutthesmallpeople."

TheoilspillwasunleashedApril20thwhentheBPDeepwaterHorizonrigexploded,killing11people.Governmentscientistsnowestimatethatasmuchas60,000barrelsperdaycontinuetogushintotheGulfofMexico.

DeepwaterHorizon

OnApril20,2010,theexploratoryoceandrillingrigDeepwaterHorizonexplodedandlatersankinthenorthernGulfofMexico. 

Thewellitwasdrilling,Macondo252,waslocatedinmorethan5,000feetofwater—fardeeperthanmostunderwaterwells.Theleakwaslatercalculatedtobebetween53,000and62,000barrels（2.2and2.6milliongallons）perday,andoverthecourseof89daysitpouredanestimated4.9millionbarrels（morethan200milliongallons）intotheGulf,makingitthelargestoilspillinU.S.history. 

Thevolumeofthespillandthedepthofthewellmadeitbothadauntingtechnicalchallengeandamassiveenvironmentalexperimentforwhichtherearefewifanysimilareventstodrawonforcomparison. 

Soonafterthespillbegan,WHOIscientists,engineers,andtechnicianswerecalledupontoapplytheexpertisetheyhadgainedfromstudyingthemarineenvironment,deepocean,andseafloortotheGulfspill.Somealsoaddedtheirlonghistoryresearchingoilspillsandnaturalmethaneseepstohelppolicymakersandotherofficialsrespondinthemostappropriateandeffectivewaypossible.DozensofpersonnelparticipatedineffortstoprepareandsendequipmenttotheGulf,researchcruisestogatherurgentlyneededsamplesanddata, meetingsandhearingsconvenedbythePresidentandCongress,and thelengthyprocessofreviewingandanalyzinginformationthatcontinuestoday.

U.S.SettlesClaimsAgainstBPOverDeepwaterHorizonSpillFor$20Billion

FederalandstateclaimsagainstBPfortheApril2010DeepwaterHorizonoilspillhavebeenresolved,theJusticeDepartmentsays,withtheoilandgascompanyagreeingtopaymorethan$20billioninpenalties.

Callingit"ahistoricresolution,"U.S.AttorneyGeneralLorettaE.LynchsaidMondaythatthedealis"thelargestsettlementwithasingleentityinAmericanhistory,"witharecordenvironmentalpenalty. Thedealwasfirstannounced inJuly.

"TheDeepwaterHorizonaccidentkilled11workersandledtoamassiveoilspillintheGulfofMexico.Thissettlementmoneywillpayforadditionalclean-upandrestoringtheland,waterandwildlifeharmed,"NPR'sJeffBradyreports."Thefederalgovernmentissettlingforlessthanitmighthavecollectedincourt.But[Lynch]saysthisagreementensuresmoneywillgettoGulfCoastcommunitiesthatneeditsooner."

AccordingtoBP,thesettlementannouncedtoday"doesnotreflectanewsettlementoranynewmoney."Instead,thecompanysays,thefiguretoutedbyU.S.officialstodayincludesmoneythatwaspreviouslyspentorannounced.

DetailsoftheresolutionwereannouncedMondaybyAttorneyGeneralLynchatanewsconferencethatalsoincludedCommerceSecretaryPennyPritzker,SecretaryofAgricultureTomVilsack,andEPAAdministratorGinaMcCarthy.

We'veupdatedthisposttoreflectthedeal'sdetails.

Here'sabreakdownofthesettlement'smainfinancialterms:

▪$7.1billionfornaturalresourcesdamagesclaimsundertheOilPollutionAct

▪$5.5billionpenaltyforviolatingtheCleanWaterAct

▪$4.9billionpaymenttofiveGulfofMexicostates

▪$1billionpreviouslypaidforrestorationwork

▪Upto$1billiontolocalgovernments

Afterlistingthewideeffectsofthespill—suchasthe3milliongallonsofoilthatwasreleasedandthemorethan1,300milesofcoastlineintheGulfthatwasstained—Lynchsaidthepenalty"shouldinspireBPanditspeerstotakeeverymeasurenecessarytoensurethatnothinglikethiscaneverhappenagain."

Reactingtonewsofthedeal,NationalWildlifeFederationPresidentandCEOCollinO'Marasaidit"shinesgreaterlightontheDeepwaterHorizon'simpactsonwildlifeandtheirhabitats."HeaddedthatthepenaltiesshouldgotowardecologicalprojectsintheGulf.

BPagreestopaylargestpenaltyinUShistoryin$4.5bnGulfoilspilldeal

BPhasagreedtopaythelargestcriminalfineinUShistory–$4.5bn–toresolveallcriminalchargesarisingfromthefataloilrigexplosionand catastrophicoilspillintheGulfofMexico.

ThecompanysaidonThursdaythatithadagreedtopay$4bntotheUSgovernmentoverfiveyears,and$525mtotheSecuritiesandExchangeCommission.Thatmoneywillbepaidoverthreeyears.

Thecriminalsettlementdoesnotsettlealloftheclaimsagainst BP fortheApril2010blowoutoftheDeepwaterHorizon,andthesubsequentoilspill.

TheoilgiantisnotyetoffthehookforenvironmentaldamagetotheGulfofMexico,andcouldfacebillionsinrestorationcoststowaters,coastlineandmarinelife.

ButThursday'sdealdoeslimitBP'sexposuretofurthercriminalchargesandpenalties,andfreesthecompanytofocusonresolvingthoseothercivilclaims.

ThefineisthelargestcriminalpenaltyinUShistory,easilyoutstrippingthepreviousrecordof$1.2bnleviedbytheJusticeDepartmentagainstdruggiantPfizeroverfraudulentmarketingpractices.

Inadditiontothefines,theoilcompanyagreedtopleadguiltyto11felonycountsofmisconductorneglectofships'officers,arisingfromthedeathsaboardtheDeepwaterHorizonwhentherigexplodedandsank.

ItalsoagreedtosinglemisdemeanourcountsundertheCleanWaterActandtheMigratoryBirdActandonefelonycountofobstructionofCongress.

ThesettlementremainssubjecttoUSfederalcourtapproval.

"AllofusatBPdeeplyregretthetragiclossoflifecausedbytheDeepwaterHorizonaccidentaswellastheimpactofthespillontheGulfcoastregion,"BP'schiefexecutive,BobDudley,saidinastatement.

"Weapologiseforourroleintheaccident,andastoday'sresolutionwiththeUSgovernmentfurtherreflects,wehaveacceptedresponsibilityforouractions."

Thecompany'schairman,Carl-HenricSvanberg,saidBPbelievedthesettlementwasinthecompany'sbestinterests.

"WebelievethisresolutionisinthebestinterestofBPanditsshareholders,"hesaidinthestatement."Itremovestwosignificantlegalrisksandallowsustovigorouslydefendthecompanyagainsttheremainingcivilclaims."

InLondonthecompany'sshares,whichhadstoppedtradingbeforethenewsofthefinebroke,closeddownafractionofapennyat425.4p.Sofar,thecompanyhassetaside$38.1bntosettleclaimsandfinesrelatedtothedisaster.

TheJusticeDepartmentisexpectedtoissueastatementonthesettlementlateronThursday.ItwasexpectedthatanumberofBPexecutivesandmanagers,includingthoseworkingontherigthenightoftheexplosion,wouldbecharged.

Allbutoneofthe14criminalchargesannouncedonThursdayrelatetothenightoftheexplosionaboardtheDeepwaterHorizon,andarebasedonthenegligentmisinterpretationofthenegativepressuretestsperformedonthewell.

Anumberoftheinvestigationsintothedisasterhavehomedinonthefinalhoursbeforetherigexplosion,whenengineerstriedandabandoneddifferentplanstofinishoffthewell.

ThefinalcriminalcountarisesfromstatementsBPofficialsmadetoaclosedsessionofCongressabouthowmuchoilwasgushingfromitsstrickenwell.Thecompanyisaccusedofdeliberatelyunderestimatingtheflow-rate–whichexpertssaycompromisedeffortstocapthewell.

ItwasnotimmediatelyclearhowBP'spleawouldaffectitsoperationsintheGulf.TheoilcompanyremainsoneofthemajorplayersindeepwaterdrillingintheGulfofMexico.

BPsaiditwasnotawareofanygovernmentactionstosuspendorcurtailitsactivitiesintheGulf,asaresultofthesettlement.

ThesettlementcouldalsoclearthewayforthejusticedepartmenttocometoapleadealwithBP'spartnersonthedoomedwell:

Transocean,whichownedtherig,andHalliburton,whichcementedthewell.

DeepwaterHorizon:

BPaccusedofgrossnegligence

TheUSJusticeDepartmenthasaccusedBPo