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Transocean to Pay $400 Million in Criminal Penalties for Criminal Conduct re Deepwater Horizon

Second Corporate Guilty Plea Obtained by Deepwater Horizon Task Force Transocean Deepwater Inc. pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) for its illegal conduct leading to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties, Attorney General Holder announced yesterday.In total, the amount of fines and other criminal penalties imposed on Transocean are the second-largest environmental crime recovery in U.S. history - following the historic $4 billion criminal sentence imposed on BP Exploration and Production Inc. in connection with the same disaster."Transocean's guilty plea and sentencing are the latest steps in the department's ongoing efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims of the Deepwater Horizon disaster," said Attorney General Holder. "Most of the $400 million criminal recovery - one of the largest for an environmental crime in U.S. history - will go toward protecting, restoring and rebuilding the Gulf Coast region.""The Deepwater Horizon explosion was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Eleven men died, and the Gulf's waters, shorelines, communities and economies suffered enormous damage. With today's guilty plea, BP and ...

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BP Oil Spill: Fines From Clean Water Act Will Go To Restoration

Fines between $5.4 billion to $21.1 billion The Senate approved Thursday using the bulk of water pollution fines stemming from the 2010 Gulf oil spill to pay for restoration in five Gulf states, a move hailed by environmental groups and state officials.The money is tied to a transportation bill that the Senate still must pass.BP PLC could be fined between $5.4 billion to $21.1 billion under the Clean Water Act, depending on whether the company is found grossly negligent.Clean Water Act fines typically go into a fund to pay for oil spill cleanup costs and damages, but under the Senate provision 80 percent of the fines would be divided among Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas.The measure cleared the Senate 76-22 as part of a larger transportation bill. Gulf Coast politicians lobbied hard to get the funds."This bipartisan legislation directs support to the Gulf States where it is needed," said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.Environmental groups called the vote a major victory."When was the last time we had 76 votes in the Senate, let alone 76 votes on a bill to invest billions in restoring one of America's most treasured landscapes?" said Paul Harrison of the Environmental Defense Fund.Earlier this ...

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