BP And Halliburton Build Legal Teams, Attempt To Buy Off Government Officials

[babylonsister]

http://www.truthout.org/bp-and-halliburton-build-legal-teams-attempt-to-buy-off-government-officials60165

BP And Halliburton Build Legal Teams, Attempt To Buy Off Government Officials

Saturday 05 June 2010
by: Alex Seitz-Wald | ThinkProgress


Facing possible jail time for their roles in the largest oil spill in American history, BP and Halliburton are building high-powered legal teams with “deep Department of Justice and White House ties.” But the companies are pursuing other means to defend themselves as well.

Halliburton’s campaign donations have spiked as it tries to curry favor with key members of Congress investigating the disaster. The company donated $17,000 in May, making it “the busiest donation month for Halliburton’s PAC since September 2008,” Politico reports. Thirteen of the 14 contributions from May went to Republicans, while seven went to members of Congress who are “on committees with oversight of the oil spill and its aftermath”:

snip//

Meanwhile, a Hill analysis found that primarily during the Bush administration, BP and other oil companies “paid for dozens of trips and meals for officials” from the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Homeland Security — agencies deeply involved in the regulation of oil exploration and spill cleanup. BP had the “highest tab for gifts to government officials” of all oil and gas companies:

BP and its affiliates — BP America and BP Exploration — show up in the gift reports at least 16 different times, paying for meals as well as for oil and gas industry seminars and tours of oil facilities. The cost of the gifts totaled more than $7,200.

Only two industry-funded trips took place during the first nine months of President Obama’s administration. In 2004, BP paid for a group of Interior officials to visit an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The group included then-deputy secretary J. Steven Griles, who later went to prison for his role in Jack Abramoff scandal. In 2005, BP paid for travel and meals for then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and then-Minerals Management Service (MMS) Director Johnnie Burton to attended the dedication ceremony of another offshore rig in the Gulf. BP also paid for officials from the EPA and the Fish and Wildlife Service to visit Prudhoe Bay, Alaska over a period of several years. A recent Interior Inspector General report covering 2005 to 2007 found a “culture of lax oversight and cozy ties to industry.” Since January of 2008, BP lobbyists have spent $30 million to influence legislation, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Some coastal governors have benefited from BP as well. BP and other oil companies gave Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) $1.8 million dollars for his campaign, and since the spill, he’s been aggressively downplaying the disaster and encouraging people to visit his state’s oily beaches. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) traveled to a BP-funded conference in Houston last month “to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without delay.” Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) dismissed potential BP negligence by calling the spill an “act of God” at a trade association funded by BP in May.

[Lochloosa]

1. Good Morning babylonsister.

[babylonsister]

2. Good morning, Lochloosa.

Seems I'm the bearer of bad news this a.m., but can't seem to find anything positive out there.

[aquart]

3. Highest tab for gifts. Worse safety record.

BP money needs to be radioactive. A dime from anyone involved in the Deepwater spill needs to have radiating toxicity.

Obama needs to move fast to decontaminate his administration, not that the Republicans can seriously run against him on it but because Democrats need to see him as actively avenging, not trusting and laid back which is how he appeared for the first month.

I honestly would not wish this spill on my worst enemy, but now that we know Florida is the next stop, I can't wait to see how that state reacts. I'm even wondering if the oil smell will contaminate the orchards.

BP has poisoned our water and our land. I do want to be punitive.

[RandomThoughts]

4. I was going to post a few thoughts about that article.

heh, but going to see what happens.

I will say this, if they say it is an act of God, what did they learn from it? Or are they saying God acts without purpose? Although they may have different beliefs then me on those topics.


I think it is an act of free will, and a ramification of actions.



I would guess they spin their interpretations to match what they want to believe is their status.

[tavalon]

7. I think they might be trying to infer that BP is God

I know absolutely that I have a different belief system!

[Scuba]

5. Isn't it time...

...to nationalize BP and the rest of the "extraction" industries?

Firstly, that's OUR oil, gas, coal, copper, etc., NOT BP's, Haliburton's, etc. The royalties they pay are a pittance compared to real worth. The Norwegians get 3 times the royalties we do on oil

Secondly, if we delay I predict that the accountants will have cleverly moved and hidden assets - or distributed them - so these companies can never be held responsible for the now obvious "hidden" costs of doing their business. Privatizing profits and socializing losses. Rich get richer, poor get poorer.

Thirdly, any Congressperson or other elected official who takes a dime from these thieves should be cast from office.

Finally, prosecute the bejeezus out of these criminals. Long sentences in federal prisons should be a deterrent to those who would contemplate future criminal actions.

[tavalon]

6. They just started?

I figured that was job one.

[icnorth]

8. Let's not forget...

"Transocean has done a very good job of hunkering down and keeping quiet while BP takes the flak," said a US oil industry source. "BP is clearly the 'responsible party' for the response under American law. But this was Transocean equipment and workers and at some stage they are going to have to answer questions about their role."
Because it leased the rig, drew up the plans for the well and owned the oil, BP is the "responsible party" under American legislation for the leak, containment and clean-up.
But as Transocean was the rig's owner and operator, its role is also under scrutiny. Both the criminal investigation by the Department of Justice and forthcoming civil compensation cases will examine the firm's actions - yet its name is rarely mentioned by US politicians or media.

http://tinyurl.com/Transocean

[Mari333]

9. kick for exposure