BP At It Again

Two weeks before the 2010 Gulf oil disaster, BP was responsible for another toxic leak that lasted for forty days. Now, the oil giant is try to weasel out of liability for that event. According to a 2012 lawsuit filed by 48,000 Texas residents, a BP oil refinery in that state released more than 538,000 pounds of toxic chemicals into the air. And, the oil giant didn't tell residents who lived near that plant about the "toxic soup" of chemicals, including benzene and carbon monoxide, that they were exposed to. After finding out about the leak, and the health risks, the group of Texas residents sued BP, asking for $10 billion dollars in damages. Rather than pay for the harm that they caused, or even try to settle the lawsuits, BP is trying to expedite the claims, saying they're simply "clogging up the court." If BP cared about freeing up our court system, they certainly wouldn't be delaying claims related to the Gulf oil disaster, or asking courts to free them from a $9.2 billion dollar settlement in that case. The fact is, the oil giant shouldn't be excused from paying for any of the damages they cause. They have already privatized the gains, and we can't let them socialize the losses.