BP has ruined coastal areas in five states and killed 11 people, said Monique Harden of the New Orleans-based Advocates for Environmental Human Rights in an interview with Common Dreams. This has nothing to do with justice or people or sustainability of our environment. It is all about political deal-making. In a 5-year agreement, the EPA removed BPs ban on U.S. contracts and new leases, including in the Gulf of Mexico. Imposed in 2012, the prohibition was put in place after the EPA determined that BP had not fully addressed the problems that led to the 2010 disaster that killed 11 workers and led to the worst off-shore oil spill in U.S. history. In response, BP turned around and sued the EPA on charges it was being unfairly punished, and with the backing of the British government and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, won the settlement announced Thursday. However, the ban on new leases did not affect existing ones, and throughout the prohibition, BP held more oil leases in the Gulf than any other driller, ThinkProgress reports.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:39:53 +0000