Monday Moaning

BP asks judge to halt ‘fictitious’ and ‘absurd’ Deepwater oil spill payouts

Oil giant asks New Orleans judge to temporarily halt payouts and says it could be ‘irreparably harmed’ by billions in costs

The actual amount of compensation that BP must pay after the 2010 Deepwater spill is uncapped. Photograph: Sipa Press / Rex Features

BP launched its promised appeal against “fictitious” and “absurd” oil spill compensation payouts on Friday and asked a judge to temporarily halt those made on a so-called business economic loss basis.

In a New Orleans court filing, the oil giant gave examples of businesses in industries far from the spill and unconnected with the coastline that enjoyed strengthened earnings in the spill year of 2010 and yet had received millions in spill compensation.

The British oil and gas group, which has already sold a substantial part of its business to pay reparations and fines for the disaster, said it could be “irreparably harmed” by the payouts without relief from the court, because they could cost it “billions” more than it budgeted for when it agreed to a settlement in April 2012.

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Opinion:

Oh dear, how sad…

BP can cry all it wants.

The company is claiming ‘irreparable harm’ could be done, and why not? They caused irreparable harm to the environment.

In my view, all the companies, not just BP, who were involved in the Gulf of Mexico disaster should be permanently banned from drilling oil anywhere in the world.

What they did to the Gulf, was shocking beyond belief. There is no monetary compensation big enough.

These companies should be made to bleed!