Environmental Litigation News

BP PLC will pay $13 million to settle most of the remaining safety violations U.S. regulators found in 2009 at its Texas City refinery, the site of a fatal 2005 blast, the company and the government said Thursday.

Chevron says that its adversaries played dirty to obtain an $18 billion judgment against the oil giant in Ecuador. But so far the Ecuadorian plaintiffs—who claim that Chevron is responsible for oil pollution in the Amazon basin—are taking the high road in seeking enforcement of the award. A month ago they chose Canada as their first forum for recognition of the judgment. On Wednesday, they chose Brazil as their second.

The Justice Department is drawing closer to civil and criminal settlements with BP PLC and Transocean Ltd. over the Deepwater Horizon disaster, deals that will likely include billions of dollars in fines and penalties.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit delivered another blow to Patton Boggs when it reaffirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against Chevron Corp. and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

A federal judge overseeing the massive litigation stemming from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill issued an order on Friday capping the amount attorneys can charge plaintiffs who participate in a settlement with BP Plc.

The state's construction budget for next year and a set of bills aimed at speeding the cleanup of lands damaged by old oil and gas drilling were signed Wednesday by Gov. Bobby Jindal. So far, the governor has signed 777 of the 886 bills the Louisiana Legislature sent him this session. Jindal has vetoed 12 bills.