Oil Spill: BP Lawsuit For Burning Turtles Alive Reaches Settlement

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge says a settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that accused BP of killing turtles as it burns oil from its blown-out Gulf well.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said Friday that lawyers would be in court later in the day to announce details.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Animal Welfare Institute and other groups said they were virtually certain turtles have been caught and burned in the corrals BP is using to capture and burn oil.

The lawsuit accused BP PLC of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Mark Proegler, a spokesman for the oil giant, said Thursday that the company has tried to avoid accidentally burning turtles. He said crews in boats look for turtles before oil is burned. He said they can stop the burns if any turtles are spotted.

Comments

[floodberg]

09:09 AM on 08/11/2010

THERE'S NO $$ SETTLEMENT HERE, FOLKS...

I checked all over the web. Here's the deal:

"Under the settlement, the two sides have agreed the Coast Guard will soon convene a group of scientists to determine how best to ensure that no endangered sea turtles die during controlled burns. The environmental groups will have input into assembling the group of experts, and the protocol scientists devise will be put on a fast track for public comment so it can be finalized quickly. " http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070203808.html

Looks like BP sets a huge dollar value on turtles and whales and such....I couldn't find anything that even said that BP would have to reimburse these groups for the expense.

I don't know about you, but having BP's Coast Guard make the call seems like a joke to me (I'm avoiding saying what I really think Thad Allen does for BP's CEOs). Anyone else feel this way?

[Ipanemagirl]

03:38 PM on 07/04/2010

The most horrible sight was to see a film of dolphins gagging in oil, about a pod of 18 in their death throws wondering why humans doing this to them, what have they done todeserve this cruelty?
And a whale on fire!!!,still alive , and unable to stop the fires on its own flesh! from the oil burns....unbelievable!!!! Of course this was an enviromentalist that flew his own plane to check things out....the news is never allowed to show us the real horrors happening out there! I saw this on Olbemans , as the guy was a guest on his program..I actually cried, it was so dramatic!

[HHUA]

11:37 PM on 07/04/2010

I saw it too, utterly heartbreaking. Unfortunately, we had been offered help from 11 nations to send their GIANT skimming fleets (early on) to help us and we DECLINED... It's unconscionable and I am furious with Obama for being too wishy washy to do what he MUST, and now it is too late for ALL of these beautiful creatures (and who knows maybe even us in the end)!

To anyone who want's to excuse me of being a Fox watching righty blah, blah, blah... WRONG, a furious LIBERAL who knows when it's time to be angry with do-nothing, blundering politicians (not to mention a blatant and continuing "cover-up")!!! And you can tell it to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (one of my idols) and other environmentalists who are furious as well... Or haven't you been paying attention to what's REALLY going on and WHO has been critical (it aint just Hannity)?

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/may2010/oilr-m10.shtml

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/111965?RS_show_page=0

http://www.senate.gov/fplayers/I2009/urlPlayer.cfm?fn=govtaff061010&st=885&dur=10995

http://standupforournation.blogspot.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgianne-nienaber/british-petroleum-rebuffs_b_610490.html”

http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/home-mainmenu-289/6386-bp-and-administration-lies-deceit-and-coverup-in-the-gulf-

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/06/worst-already-true-BP-well-now-unstoppable?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+motherjones%2FTheBlueMarble+%28Mother+Jones+|+The+Blue+Marble%29

[HHUA]

11:48 PM on 07/04/2010

meant 'accuse' me not "excuse me" (it's late).

[LeeCalif]

12:52 PM on 07/04/2010

Another BP li.e.

You cannot stop a burn.

[blueballs]

06:15 AM on 07/04/2010

Check out the Fox News video segment link above, the one that says "Pam says oil spill the end of the world". The Fox News spin on this: 'Why aren't more celebrities DONATING MONEY to this'?

So, in other words, it is all Hollywood's fault. And Obama, of course. Not BP, nope. Hollywood. If this were fiction, NO ONE would believe it. No one.

[blueballs]

06:08 AM on 07/04/2010

"A settlement has been reached" ... well, let's see, a Federal judge with (no doubt) sizeable investments in BP stock ... let me guess:

America has to apologize, Republican-style, to BP for putting her sea turtles in BP's way and America has to give BP MORE in subsidies as a result.

We are SO sorry we inconvenienced you, BP. Mea maxima culpa.

[HHUA]

01:02 AM on 07/03/2010

Oh, a "settlement"... that'll help the turtles.

[kgb999]

01:09 AM on 07/04/2010

Maybe they'll get a trust fund.

[Martin Musetsky]

10:31 PM on 07/02/2010

Videos from the Gulf: "Historic Aerial Footage Reveals the Scope of the BP Gulf Oil Disaster" - http://history.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/shocking-aerial-footage-reveals-scope.html

"Sharks Gather at Oily Shore To Escape Oxygen Dead Zone in Gulf" - http://science.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/sharks-and-sea-life-gather-near-shore.html

It's the same site that has the feed from twelve cameras on the floor of the Gulf (may load slowly): http://climate.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/live-video-feeds-of-gulf-oil-disaster.html

[Bushwhacked]

07:02 PM on 07/02/2010

I listened to The Ed Show guest host Michael Smerconish today and he points out that a boycott of BP is foolish. BP is responsible for everything that has and continues to happen related to this catastrophe. Trying to harm the company is wrong for the following reasons. Seems to make sense to me. Says he: 1). it's imperative that BP NOT tap out before plugging the leak and cleaning up the tens of millions of gallons of crude oil marring the Gulf of Mexico, otherwise the U.S. federal government (ie. tax payers) will be sucked into picking up the tab. 2). the U.S. still has a cracklike dependence on foreign oil; any business the U.S. doesn't do with BP will fall to companies in the Middle East, indirect funders of groups that wish harm to Americans.

[HHUA]

01:08 AM on 07/03/2010

An even simpler reason is that it doesn't really impact BP at all to boycott BP gas stations, but rather only hurts the station owners and thus MORE Americans. These stations are independently owned (the owners pay a small licensing fee to BP for using their name) and are not even required to use their gas... So it is highly counterproductive to do so and hurts the WRONG people. Someone should tell Lady Gaga, who is one of the celebs leading the charge for boycotts... She should stick to music and leave anything that requires thinking to those who can actually "think".

[Ipanemagirl]

03:30 PM on 07/04/2010

what a bunch of hoop la...BP will never run out of money and we have to ensure they keep their obligation to keep cleaning , tap the leak and clean some more and pay for it all..and not be able to f drill until they can prove they got the safely implements up to snuff....in the meantime , lets ramp up the alternatives,,,ethanol, solar, wind power etc...
.dont give me this "lets not be too hard on BP for then we may have to pay for it oursleves, we still need them bla bla bla..Thats all marketting PR for BP. so dont be so naive to get sucked into that !!!

[Bushwhacked]

05:06 PM on 07/04/2010

Well, aren't you tall and tan and young and lovely? This comment was just my plan to finally get noticed by you - all that walking by, me smiling but you never seeing me, you know...

[maxfax]

06:52 PM on 07/02/2010

Such fast action by British Petroleum, who knew they could respond so quickly and decisively. Oh wait, it will get the story off the front pages and out of the view of the public. Perfecto.

[nexxtep54]

12:51 AM on 07/05/2010

It's gonna be on a lot of front pages . . . on the web.

[FBuchan]

02:38 PM on 07/02/2010

So, how much cash is each turtle getting? Oh, I forgot, this isn't actually going to help the burned turtles.

[SLCPunk]

03:29 PM on 07/02/2010

What is it with you people?

Is "cash" all you see? Do you even give a flying f*ck if this gets cleaned up?

I just don't get you. You harp that free market capitalism is the key to our dreams; that companies should be allowed to do what they want because they need people. Unfortunately, they serve more like drug pushers than altruists. But you never thought of that, did you? They're killing us and you just admire the wealth they've built.

Currently, our government (one you no doubt think is too large and spends too much) is sitting on its thumbs regarding this. Think of a cash extraction as payment of a fine. The Animal Welfare Institute will then use this money to help clean this crap up, though the settlement is likely a drop in the bucket. This is like being allowed to commit murder and have sole responsibility for cleaning up the crime scene. You and I would never get this kind of deference, yet corporations should be granted the same rights as we, the people.

Just crazy.

[HHUA]

01:12 AM on 07/03/2010

Holy cr@p... Do you really not get that this was SARCASM? Talk about ziiiiiing right over your head?!!!

[AngryHarpy]

06:02 PM on 07/02/2010

Since money seems to be what's important to you I'm surprised you do not make the connection. Let me dumb it down...

BP found liable ----> BP fined ----> BP takes measures to prevent future occurrence

Whew. Now my brain hurts from all that thinking.

[HHUA]

01:15 AM on 07/03/2010

Uhm, sorry to strain your "brain" further from having to "think", but have you ever heard of "sarcasm"? Jeesh, you may want to look that one up.