'Reckless' BP faces $18bn fine for Deepwater oil spill
Found on New Scientist on Friday, 05 September 2014
Yesterday a federal US court found BP grossly negligent in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in US history. The ruling leaves the oil company liable for up to $18 billion in fines. But four years on, the drilling industry may not have learned any lessons.
Since the spill, the US Congress has been slow to enact stricter rules for drillers, he says. "We had a moment in time, when this disaster came to the consciousness of the public, that we had a chance of actually getting something done, but it was tamped down so quickly," says Cavnar.
The oil industry hasn't learned much, and neither did most of the consumers. Bigger cars are still considered better.