Watching the watchers, BP edition
Criminal probe of oil spill to focus on 3 firms and their ties to regulators
A team of federal investigators known as the “BP squad” is assembling in New Orleans to conduct a wide-ranging criminal probe that will focus on at least three companies and examine whether their cozy relations with federal regulators contributed to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, according to law enforcement and other sources.
The squad at the FBI offices includes investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies, the sources said. In addition to BP, the firms at the center of the inquiry are Transocean, which leased the Deepwater Horizon rig to BP, and engineering giant Halliburton, which had finished cementing the well only 20 hours before the rig exploded April 20, sources said.
While it was known that investigators are examining potential violations of environmental laws, it is now clear that they are also looking into whether company officials made false statements to regulators, obstructed justice or falsified test results for devices such as the rig’s failed blowout preventer. It is unclear whether any such evidence has surfaced. </em>
Everyone raise their hand if they think this will have any teeth to it at all. BP is a criminal enterprise that operated in lock step with lax regulators to rape the environment for profit. Anybody think yet another government agency is actually going to find anything, or hold anyone responsible? Ha.
Find the pond scum who signed off on the non-existent inspections, faked documents and shoddy maintenance practices, and put them in jail for at least manslaughter in the deaths of the eleven dead workers. That will get some folks attention. Of course, I’m in dreamland (and they ain’t serving bbq this time…) that anyone will be held accountable for this. Not in this country, not in these times.
I do know this: I’ve probably had my last plate of Gulf seafood…and that is a tragedy.
