Corporate Fraud: Halliburton to plead guilty to destroying Gulf spill evidence

Halliburton Energy Services has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

Federal officials said in a news release that a criminal information charging Halliburton with one count of destruction of evidence was filed in federal court in Louisiana.

Halliburton has agreed to pay the maximum fine, be on probation for three years and continue to co-operate with the government's criminal investigation, according to the news release, which did not list the amount of the fine.

The Houston-based company has also made a $55 million voluntary contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It was not a condition of the court agreement, the news release says.

The company said in a statement Thursday night that it had agreed to plead guilty "to one misdemeanor violation associated with the deletion of records created after the Macondo well incident, to pay the statutory maximum fine of $200,000 and to accept a term of three years probation."

Read more: Halliburton to plead guilty to destroying Gulf spill evidence - Business - CBC News

Tourism: Oil spill: Florida is still fun

The state's image continues to take a beating as oil keeps gushing from BP's Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf. Europeans and even some Americans who aren't familiar with the Sunshine State's geography put the whole state in the same oily dread zone.

That's despite proclamations such as this one Wednesday from the state's Visit Florida website: "Nearly 90 percent of Florida's more than 1,260 miles of coastline remains unimpacted."
The state has been using money from BP to promote Florida's beaches and coastal attractions to potential tourists outside Florida, and the state's Visit Florida website is offering live webcams for beach destinations throughout Florida.

The ripples of the oil spill will continue to be felt throughout Florida's private and government sectors for months and maybe years to come.

For more: Oil spill: Florida is still fun | jacksonville.com

Oil spill must spark energy revolution - by Robert P. Cady

Years ago disgruntled US tax payers famously dumped the king’s tea into Boston Harbor. It led to revolution. Today, one of the world’s richest corporations is dumping oil in the Gulf of Mexico. We can only hope that this, too, leads to revolution.

This horrendous ecological and economic disaster may be the positive opportunity that the progressives in this country have been waiting for. The oil industry is suddenly vulnerable and our president has an incredible opportunity to pull a John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy asked the country to pull together to get a man on the moon in the 1960s. No expense was to be spared and the American people were asked to support the program that was not only a huge gamble but also promised massive spending. The government funding coffers were opened to universities, corporate research centers and entrepreneurs.

For more: Oil spill must spark energy revolution | ajc.com

BP’s latest slip-up has U.S. ‘preparing for the worst’ of oil spill - by Shawn McCarthy and Josh Wingrove

Another capping attempt, another failure, and now the Obama administration is preparing the American public for the worst: the possibility that BP’s blown-out well could gush for another two months with near-apocalyptic impact on the Gulf of Mexico’s environment and economy.

BP has scrapped its “top kill” effort to plug the well by injecting heavy drilling mud into it, and was preparing on Sunday to deploy another strategy: a cap that would allow the company to cover the well and siphon the crude into tankers waiting 1,500 metres above the sea floor.

But a senior White House official warned that BP is running out of options to contain the spewing oil, and the end may not come until it can complete the drilling of two relief wells, expected some time in early August.

For more: BP’s latest slip-up has U.S. ‘preparing for the worst’ of oil spill - The Globe and Mail

EU to send equipment to help US clean up Gulf oil spill

The European Commission said on May 28 that it would send equipment to help the US clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, having received a request for assistance from the US coast guard a day earlier.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our American friends as they work to deal with this environmental disaster," EU's commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. "We have already developed an excellent cooperation on emergency response and this positive reaction from Europe to the call for equipment for the Gulf of Mexico is an international solidarity in dealing with ecological disasters," she said.

European Commission's monitoring and information centre (MIC) put together the consolidated offer within hours, using equipment available from Spain, the Netherlands and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). All costs associated with the transport, handling and replacement of the arms and related equipment will be covered by a US contracted company.

For more: EU to send equipment to help US clean up Gulf oil spill - Foreign - The Sofia Echo

Watch Live Feed Of The Ongoing BP Oil Spill

Want to see what more than 1 million gallons of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico looks like? Now you can. WKRG, a local TV station in Mobile/Pensacola, Florida, is live streaming the environmental disaster on Ustream (ustream)

For more: VIDEO: Watch Live Feed Of The Ongoing BP Oil Spill | News One

The Economic Impact Of The Gulf Oil Spill

While it is generally assumed BP is responsible for all costs associated with the cleanup, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked Monday whether the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 limits the amount of liability assessed to a company at $75 million, that is, beyond the initial cleanup cost. At the time, Mr. Gibbs wasn't clear on the specific provisions of the bill.

Later in the day, Kenneth Baer, Communications Director for the Office of Management and Budget, issued the following statement: "Let's be clear: BP is responsible for -- and will be held accountable for -- the very significant clean-up and recovery costs. If BP is found to be grossly negligent or to have engaged in willful misconduct or conduct in violation of federal regulations, then there is no cap under the Oil Pollution Act for damages. "You can be sure'' Baer wrote, "that BP will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.''

NOTE EU-Digest: The oil slick is now estimated at about 3,800 square kilometers.
Unfortunately the consumers numbed by empty environmental slogans of the Oil Industry can't care less. At stations selling BP gas across the world, there is no apparent sign of a consumer backlash at the pump, like the boycott triggered by the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska 21 years ago. Click here to see pictures taken from outer space of the BP Oil spill in the Gulf.
 
For more: The Economic Impact Of The Gulf Oil Spill

Outer Space: Space Station nearly completed: Atlantis shuttle to be retired heads home after smooth mission

The six-member crew of Atlantis launched nine days ago and joined the six space station residents a week ago. It undocked from the station Sunday after completing all of the mission's tasks, including the installation of a Russian module and six large new batteries on the station. With just two shuttle flights remaining, the station is nearly complete. Piers Sellers, who last flew to the station in 2006, says the station was about one-third the size at that time. 

“It was very different,” he said. “This place is now a palace. It's huge. We're seeing the station in pretty much its final form, and it's fantastic.” During their limited time off during their stay, the shuttle crew members have joined the station crew in staring out of the orbiting laboratory's cupola, a large, seven-paned window that looks back on Earth. They've enjoyed many highs, seeing hometowns, oceans and islands. But there has been a big downer, too, explained Soichi Noguchi, a station astronaut.

“The oil spill, we're watching above every day,” he said. “It's kind of sad to see. These days the stain has spread to the south. We're hoping for a quick recovery.”

For more: Likely to retire, Atlantis heads home after smooth mission | National | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle