Tuesday, August 10, 2010

BP (NYSE:BP) Sued By Texas Over Refinery Pollution

The BP (NYSE:BP) refinery in Texas which killed 15 workers in 2005 continues to be an albatross around the neck of the oil giant, as it has been sued again by the state of Texas over pollution violations.

It doesn't help them at all to have this negative publicity in light of the progress they're finally achieving at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

This lawsuit is centered around a fire at the facility on April 6, when 500,000 pounds of pollutants were allegedly released into the air during a 40-day period.

Major elements of the case are the fire could have been prevented with proper maintenance, but probably more importantly, the pollutants could have been managed by shutting down the two units until repairs of the broken compressor were finished.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said, "BP made very little attempt to minimize the emission of air contaminants caused by its actions, once again prioritizing profits over environmental compliance."

That determination was based around the decision of BP to restart not long after the fire.

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