Environment & Safety
ExxonMobil wins court reversal of $1bn in damages from Maryland gas leak
The Maryland Court of Appeals reversed more than $1 billion in punitive damages, awarded by a jury in 2011, adding that residents and business who accused the energy giant of fraud hadn't sufficiently proven their case. The court also reversed a large number of compensatory damages.
Accusations fly at Deepwater Horizon spill trial
Lawyers for BP, Transocean, Halliburton, the federal government, Gulf Coast states and local businesses traded barbs over who is to blame for the deadly 2010 explosion.
Transocean accused of improper training, subpar maintenance in Gulf spill
Information about close calls on other rigs wasn't passed along, a lawyer said, adding that just a month before the April 2010 accident, the Transocean crew on the Deepwater Horizon failed to catch a sudden surge of natural gas from the well they were drilling, indicating the company had "a chronic problem."
China mandates environmental insurance program for chemical factories
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said its pilot insurance plan is now mandatory for mining and smelting producers, lead-acid battery manufacturers, leather goods producers and chemical factories. Petrochemical companies are "encouraged to be insured," the ministry said in a statement.
BP may receive $16 billion offer from US to settle Gulf oil spill civil claims
The settlement offer would cover potential fines owed by BP under the Clean Water Act and payments under another process known as the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. The fines stem from the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill that ensued from the Deepwater Horizon well blowout in April 2010.
API appeals E15 gasoline rule to US Supreme Court
The group alleges that had EPA stayed within its statutory authority and followed proper procedures, it would have waited until ongoing E15 testing on engines and fuel systems was completed before allowing the use of E15. Then it would have found that E15 is not safe for numerous vehicles.
Worker found dead at Valero refinery in Oklahoma
Valero said the cause of death is unknown and is under investigation -- there are no signs of any release, "no fire, no explosion, nothing like that". The refinery's emergency response team called an ambulance after the man was found unconscious, and the man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
US court ruling could cut BP's final spill penalty
A judge in New Orleans agreed to a stipulation that could reduce BP's maximum penalty in connection with the Deepwater Horizon accident by as much as $3.5 billion.
BP to fight US government over size of oil spill fine
The company said it believes the US government's estimate that 4.9 million bbl of oil were spilled in the Gulf of Mexico during the incident is overstated by at least 20% and includes another 810,000 bbl of oil that BP captured from the leaking well, so it never made contact with the environment.
Australian coal-seam gas ban puts projects at risk
Coal-seam-gas drilling will be banned within 2 kilometers of residential areas in Australia's most populous state, the conservative Liberal government said, adding that bans would also apply to land containing vineyards and horse studs. The moves may constrain the activities of energy companies.
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