Source:
Associated PressDENVER – The Obama administration has fined BP America $5.2 million for allegedly submitting false reports about energy production on an Indian reservation in Colorado.
The Interior Department said Wednesday that the U.S. unit of BP PLC repeatedly misreported royalty rates for natural gas on Southern Ute Indian tribal lands. Interior spokesman Patrick Etchart said BP was not taking more natural gas than reported. Instead, BP at times reported erroneous royalty rates, or listed gas coming from the wrong wells, he said.
BP America spokesman Daren Beaudo said most of the errors came when BP listed royalty payments for "natural gas" instead of "coal-bed methane gas," a more specific designation with a different royalty schedule. The errors led BP to underpay the Southern Utes about $200,000, which has been repaid, Beaudo said. He couldn't say how long the error went on.
Tribal leaders didn't return calls seeking comment.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100630/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bp_fine_colorado
How to NOT win friends and influence people:
1. lie for money
2. lie to the already monumentally screwed-over natives
3. lie to dodge taxes
4. get caught lying when you're already dealing with more than a dozen dead workers and a few hundred millions gallons of rogue oil