It’s surprising we haven’t seen more of these in our area. According to a News4Jax article, a protest ordered by the Jacksonville MoveOn Council was held at a BP gas station in Jacksonville Beach, Saturday, June 12. Carrying large signs with an anti-oil message, the protestors waved at passing cars to try and share the message – that BP is only technically on the hook to pay $75 million in damages to the Gulf of Mexico and beaches.
President Obama says he will hold BP accountable for the total dollar cost of the cleanup and the BP CEO has said it will pay “all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs” not mentioning who will determine which claims are “appropriate.”
BP has limited liability to $75 million which was capped under the Oil Pollution Act, established after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in a concession to the industry. Sens. Bill Nelson and Robert Menendez have introduced legislation to raise the cap to $10 billion and to allow claimants to collect from future BP revenues.
The $75 million cap however goes out the window if BP or any other defendant is eventually found to be grossly negligent or violated the law.
Expect years of oil spill damages litigation ahead to determine the responsible parties.
Anadarko Petroleum is a 25% stakeholder in the project. Transocean drilled the well. Cameron International was responsible for the blowout prevention equipment. Halliburton who is the private contractor for the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan was supposed to have cemented the well.
Sen. Nelson has called for a halt in new oil drilling. Despite BPs estimates, government estimates on the oil spill indicate 53 to 64 million gallons have spilled into the Gulf.
The Florida oil spill attorneys at Farah and Farah are investigating damage claims resulting from the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. If you have suffered financial losses a comprehensive consultation will help you determine your next step.
