Joint Statement on Upcoming BP Oil Spill Trial and Settlement Reports

Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2013) BP is facing tens of billions of dollars in penalties as the U.S. Department of Justice and the British oil giant get ready to start trial Monday over civil charges stemming from the 2010 gulf oil disaster. However, a report in the Wall Street Journal today suggests that the Department of Justice may be considering proposing a settlement. Representatives from three of America’s leading conservation organizations said the following about the trial and any possible settlement:

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation:

“The Gulf of Mexico is more than just a place where oil companies make enormous profits — it’s a public jewel where our children swim, where wildlife live, and where we get the food we eat.

“A potential settlement as low as the reported $16 billion would not be much of a deterrent for an oil giant like BP — and it is unlikely to be enough to fully restore the Gulf of Mexico as the law requires. The Obama Administration can and must do more to hold BP accountable.”

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund:

“The American people deserve to see BP held fully accountable for its recklessness. The Gulf of Mexico is an ecological treasure that sustains a large part of the national economy.

“With everything we know about the corners BP cut and the risks the company took, this ought to be a clear-cut case of ‘gross negligence.’ The outcome of this case needs to send a clear message to all companies who drill in our nation’s waters: risky behavior is bad for business.”

Chris Canfield, vice president of the Gulf Coast for the National Audubon Society:

“It will be years, even decades, before we understand the true impacts of the spill. The law requires BP to compensate the American people for all the damage that was done — for every smothered blade of marsh grass and for every oiled pelican — as well as for any long-term effects we may have not yet seen.

“It was years after the Exxon Valdez disaster that the herring population crashed due to that spill, and it still has not recovered. The outcome of this case must ensure that BP will be held fully accountable not only for the damages we see today, but also for any damages we will discover years from now.”