Texans claim BP put profits over people

[caption id="attachment_10880" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="BP protest"][/caption]

CN - GHN Staff - In one of a number of lawsuits filed against BP, a Texas lawsuit
underlines the oil company giant put profits over people in its drilling
activities, exposing people to severe risks.

"One of the most deadly and nastiest carcinogens," is what BP allowed into the environment

with 17,000 pounds of benzene.  This spewed out of an operating unit at
its Texas City refinery.


The lawsuit says that rather than losing profits, BP ducked
responsibility and failed to shut down the unit that could have averted
the chemicals being released into the environment.


The lawsuit requests BP to pay more than $10 billion in punitive damages for alleged negligence.


The brief goes on to say that from April 6 to May 16, BP released
538,000 of chemicals and compounds, including the 17,000 pounds of
benzene, when a hydrogen compressor in an operating unit at its plant
went offline.


The complaint goes on to say,"The hydrogen compressor is responsible
for trapping noxious chemicals, and without it working BP opted to send
the gases to a flare," plant workers and nearby residents claim. "BP did
this, even though it knew the flaring process would be, at best,
incomplete and allow some chemicals to escape into the atmosphere."


The operating unit produces 65,000 barrels of oil a day, and "each
barrel during this time would have resulted in $5 to $10 in profit for
BP," the complaint continues.


"With this much money at stake, shutting down the [operating unit], even
for just a brief 24 hour period, would have garnered attention from the
financial press and investors," according to the complaint.


The complaint further observes that there were no reports filed to Texas
City officials of the "scale of the release" until it was over.


BP's Texas City refinery has a "long and tragic history" of
environmental and safety violations that have resulted in 20 deaths
since 2005, the class says.



"Since BP's acquisition of the refinery, there have been hundreds, if
not thousands, of leaks, spills and releases at the refinery," workers
and residents claim.


At one time, Bp paid more than $100 million in fines, the lawsuit states.


In a 2009 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, BP
paid $12 million in fines and agreed to "improve management controls to
minimize Benzene wastes, plus implement major upgrades to the facility
and equipment" the class claims.


"As the incident in this case proves, BP failed to live up to its agreement," the class members claim.


"Literally thousands of persons worked at the refinery and/or resided in
Texas City, Texas between April 6, 2010 and May 16, 2010."


The class wants $5 million in actual and compensatory damages in addition to the punitive damages.


Anthony Buzbee of Houston represents the plaintiffs in this action.