BP faces a total of $49bn in costs and fines for the 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster, after a federal judge ruled the company
acted with "gross negligence''.
Judge Carl Barbier concluded on Thursday that the oil
company showed a "conscious disregard of known risks'' during the drilling
operation and bears most of the responsibility for the blowout that killed 11
Deep water Horizon rig workers and spewed millions of barrels of oil in to the
sea.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, a polluter can be forced
to pay a maximum of $1,100 in civil fines per barrel of spilled oil, or up to
$4,300 per barrel if the company is found grossly negligent.
The US government estimated 4.2 million barrels of oil was
spilt - meaning the company is liable for $18bn of fines. That figure is in
addition to BP's previous agreement to pay a record $4bn in criminal fines and
penalties, plus more than $27bn in cleanup costs and compensation to people and
businesses harmed by the spill.
Barbier will decide in January precisely how much BP must
pay.
The company made $24bn in profits last year but could be
forced again to sell off some assets to cover the additional fines, the AP news
agency reported.
Eric Holder, the said
Barbier's ruling "will ensure that the company is held fully accountable
for its recklessness'' and will deter others from risking environmental damage
in pursuit of profit.
Barbier that BP bears 67 percent of the responsibility,
Swiss-based drilling rig owner Trans ocean 30 percent, and Houston-based cement
contractor Halliburton Energy Services 3 percent.
Among other things, the judge cited a misinterpreted safety
test that should have warned the drilling crew that the well was in danger of
blowing out.
In a statement, BP said the evidence did not meet the
"very high bar'' to prove gross negligence.
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