BP Hit With $5.2 Million Fine for False Reports (in Colorado)

[Robbien]

Source: wsj

WASHINGTON—The Interior Department said it has fined the U.S. unit of BP PLC $5.2 million for submitting "false, inaccurate, or misleading" reports for energy production on Indian tribal lands in southwestern Colorado.

The civil penalty marks the first enforcement action by the department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement under its new director Michael Bromwich, who took office last week.

. . .

The department said tribal auditors found that BP reported incorrect royalty rates and prices for royalty purposes, and reported well production on leases "other than those to which the production is attributable."

The department added that BP agreed with the auditors' concerns and "repeatedly promised to correct the problems," which they attributed to errors in their automated files. But subsequent reviews by the department turned up more errors, "leading us to conclude that BP's continued submission of erroneous reports was knowing or willful," Mr. Bromwich said.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703426004...

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BP probably thought it would admit to a "glitch" and promise to do better in the future and OEM would just go away. Why wouldn't that plan work. It always has in the past.

Hopefully this is a sign that OEM is finally getting around to doing its job.

[superconnected]

1. Go Colorado!

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Robbien.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. BP fined $5.2M for misreporting Colo. gas output

Source: Associated Press

DENVER – 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.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100630/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bp_f...

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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

[dipsydoodle]

4. And last but not least avoid LBN duplicates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...