BP argues it's just a flesh wound
New Orleans, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier rejected BP's attempt to reduce the
possible civil fine they could face–leaving it at $4,300 per barrel spilled.
BP had sought a $3,000 per barrel maximum, equal to a maximum $9.57 billion civil fine. Barbier has not decided how much BP should pay, and it is unclear when he will.
You can understand BP's trepidation. It was just a couple of weeks ago that
10,000,000 missing gallons of oil were found. In BP's defense, they don't want to have to keep on paying money for their criminal negligence.
In fact, just a few months ago, this very judge called them "grossly negligent", and that cannot be good.
Transocean operated the rig used to drill into the seabed and Halliburton laid the faulty cement that failed after the well exploded, sending oil gushing into the gulf waters for 87 days. A government report in 2011 noted that all three companies were at fault, but not equally. BP, the report stated, "was ultimately responsible for conducting operations at Macondo in a way that ensured the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources and the environment."