Bp

BP is releasing its internal findings into the nation's worst oil spill. Nearly five months after the Deepwater Horizon’s fatal explosion, the company takes some responsibility but also passes the blame around. One hundred and forty-three days after the blast that killed 11 people and spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP is now spreading blame.   In its report, almost 200 pages long, BP's safety officer outlines results of the company’s internal investigation, finding no single factor but a series of failures.

BP is suspending production at a drilling site on the North Slope. Spokesperson Steve Rinehart told Bloomberg.com that the company decided to halt construction at its Liberty rig after, "a number of engineering and design issues arose. " The billion-and-a-half dollar project was to use extended reach technology to drill eight miles east of Endicott, setting a new record for horizontal drilling. Rinehart says BP continues to learn from the Deepwater Horizon incident and will apply those lessons as it moves forward with the Liberty rig, "the liberty rig is one of  a kind it has unique capabilities because it needs to do a very challenging job, but as you can imagine with any one of kind big piece of equipment they are going to find items and elements that don't quite match what you hoped you have or what you need to have Pieces of the rig started arriving last summer.

Thousands of Americans are pitching ideas to BP and the federal government on how to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and clean up the beaches. Some of the proposals are quite radical, but there are some very simple solutions out there, including a few from Alaska. With two kids, one more on the way, a couple dogs and a few small businesses, George Sikat should be too busy to think about stopping the worst oil spill in U.S. history. For the most part he was -- until this past Father's Day when 4-year-old Georgie Sikat made a request the Wasilla dad could not ignore.

by Ted Land Monday, June 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- BP says it's working to move an oil cleanup system from an Alaska down to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP spokesperson Robert Wine confirms that the company purchased an Ocean Buster oil skimmer from Shell Oil. Wine says the company can easily pack the containment boom and ship it to the gulf, where the company plans to install it on a different vessel. The skimmer is part of Shell's Nanuq oil spill response vessel, currently docked in Seward.

by Channel 2 News staff Monday, May 10, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- In a poll conducted by Channel 2 News, respondents were asked if their opinion of BP has changed as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Here is the official question and results of the 375 people who voted. Has your opinion of BP changed as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Yes 33 % No 67 % All polls conducted by Channel 2 News and KTUU.

by Channel 2 News staff and The Associated Press Sunday, July 11, 2010 LONDON -- A British newspaper says that BP is talking with Apache Corp. of the United States about possibly selling $18 billion worth of assets. BP spokespersons Robert Wine and Steve Rinehart both said the company would not comment on "market speculation. " According to MSNBC.com, the Sunday Times of London said Apache Corp., based in Houston, approached BP to discuss the possibility of acquiring some of its assets, including a stake in the Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska.

by Lori Tipton and Channel 2 News staff Sunday, May 16, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The oil company BP reported progress Sunday in containing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from its sunken Deepwater Horizon offshore rig. A specially designed riser insertion tube tool was plugged into the wellhead at a depth of 5,000 feet Sunday morning, and has begun siphoning oil and gas up to a tanker on the surface. Right now, BP is unable to say how much oil has been siphoned off or even at what rate oil and gas from the leak are being diverted to the surface.

by Ted Land Friday, June 25, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Some people are disappointed that BP is passing up an important tool in its response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Shell Oil's sophisticated cleanup vessel, the Nanuq, could be on its way to the gulf -- but instead it's docked in Seward, waiting for its next assignment. Shell built the ship in 2007, and says it's one of the most advanced skimming vessels of its kind in the world. "She's definitely the largest that we know of," said Shell Alaska's Susan Moore.

BP has sold multiple assets in Texas, Canada and Egypt to Houston-based Apache Corp., after speculation that the company would be selling its Alaska assets in Prudhoe Bay. The sale is meant to help BP pay for rising costs after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. At the state Division of Oil and Gas, the news didn't come as much of a surprise. Kevin Banks, the division's director, says that even though BP didn't sell its Alaska assets, the state is still keeping an eye out. "I think we're still going to be kind of vigilant.

A tribunal of arbitrators has awarded the State of Alaska $255 million in a dispute with BP over tax losses over production shortfalls dating back to Prudhoe Bay pipeline leaks and replacements in 2006, state officials announced Thursday. The decision by the three arbitrators -- Mark Kantor, Thomas Reavley and Thomas Brewer -- says the losses occurred due to incidents at both Prudhoe Bay and the Greater McIntyre Point Area. While BP argued that any losses in production were short-lived and made up for by rebounds in subsequent production under higher oil prices, the tribunal dismissed the company's position in its unanimous Oct. 31 decision, following a four-week hearing in May and June.

The University of Alaska Anchorage's engineering program is getting a big boost from oil giant BP in the form of a $1 million gift, meant to start a corrosion research laboratory. The space will be designed to cultivate the first generation of home-grown corrosion problem-solvers. “It's an investment in the future and it's an investment that we believe will pay out over time,” said BP Alaska president John Minge following a ceremony, Monday. Minge said few, if any, corrosion experts call Alaska home.

An Anchorage lawmaker is crying foul after a recent court decision exposed two different figures BP has used in determining how long the pipeline can operate. Sen. Hollis French says BP has told the public and lawmakers the pipeline would not be able to operate below 300,000 barrels per day, and that was part of their pitch for lowering oil taxes to spur development. French has been against recent efforts to lower taxes on North Slope producers. A ruling by Judge Sharon Gleason over a property tax dispute between the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and municipalities it runs through brought to light at 2004 study commissioned by BP that says the pipeline could actually operate down to only 135,000 barrels per day. According to French it's a figure BP only shared with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A new chapter may have begun in Alaska's decade-long saga to bring North Slope gas to market.  Governor Sean Parnell met on Thursday with the heads of the state's three major oil and gas producers:  Exxon Mobil's Rex Tillerson, BP's Bob Dudley and ConocoPhillips' Jim Mulva. “That's something positive Alaskans can take hold of,” said Parnell, who says all three have agreed to explore building a pipeline from the North Slope to a port in Alaska, to ship liquefied natural gas. It represents a huge shift in the state's mainstream politics, which was entrenched in the belief that the most economic line would run across Canada and into Alberta.  “I think that we have hope for the future,” said Parnell.

BP told lawmakers Thursday that from now on it'll pay better attention to whether or not its contractors and subcontractors on the North Slope hire local labor. Previously the company would only consider safety, quality, and total cost when seeking bids -- now add Alaska residency to the criteria. “We're committed to giving them the chance to compete,” BP Alaska CFO Claire Fitzpatrick told state lawmakers during a hearing in Anchorage to figure out why more than half the workers on the Slope live out of state.

A polar bear was shot and killed on BP's Endicott Oil Field in the North Slope. According to BP spokesperson Steve Rinehart, the company and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the shooting. USFWS officials say they can't comment on an ongoing investigation. Rinehart said a guard with Purcell Security, which has BP's North Slope security contract, shot the bear after it continued to approach employee housing. The guard thought he was shooting the bear with a non-lethal beanbag round; instead it was inadvertently shot with a cracker round, which emanates loud noises and lights like a firecracker.

The Napoleon River Bandits completed their undefeated march through the BP Invitational Baseball Tournament Sunday night with 11-3 victory over the Dimond Lynx in the championship game. Levi Fisher got things going for the Ohio group with a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning putting his team up 2-0. Dimond would fight back in the top of the second evening the game but in this battle it seemed to be two steps forward ten steps back. The River Bandits would add another two runs in the bottom of the second, again off the bat of Levi Fisher, this time on a single to left as Napolion took their two run lead back making the score 4-2. The out of town team would continue it's assault on the scoreboard including a three run homer by Art Warren in the 5th inning that was as impressive in it's distance as it was controversial.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that BP’s Alaska unit will pay $25 million in civil penalties to settle a federal lawsuit over 2006 crude oil spills from its North Slope pipelines. Under the settlement, which also involves the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. also agreed to implement a pipeline integrity management program throughout its system.

The president of BP Exploration in Alaska asked contractors Thursday how bad things have to get before a tax change is made. John Minge pointed to HB 110, Gov. Parnell’s tax reduction plan, as an obvious solution to lower oil taxes, but the bill likely won't pass this legislative session. Minge says BP would likely increase investments in the state if the tax system changes. He says the only way to get more oil in the pipeline is by encouraging development. When asked why he's speaking out three days before the session ends, Minge said the debate will continue until something is done.