Lucas,
Last week's announcement by the government of its settlement with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster has confirmed BP's rank among the world's worst corporate criminals.
To settle these criminal charges, BP will pay a $4.5 billion fine — chump change for a corporation that netted nearly $24 billion last year. It will be subject to temporary government monitoring, and a few of its mid-level executives might see the inside of a minimum security facility.
And — despite pleading guilty to 12 felony counts and two misdemeanors related to the oil rig explosion that claimed 11 lives and touched off what became the biggest spill in U.S. history — BP is still one of the U.S. government's top federal contractors.
BP is by far the top supplier of fuel to the military, receiving 49% more in defense contracts than the #2 supplier.
Tell government agencies to suspend BP and its subsidiaries from serving as federal contractors.
It is egregious that federal tax dollars continue to be awarded to a corporation with as thick a criminal rap sheet as BP.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Federal law enables U.S. government officials to debar — ban from government business — companies that commit fraud or repeatedly run afoul of the law.
In the 10 years leading up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP was convicted of three environmental crimes and pleaded guilty to market manipulation.
But instead of truly holding BP accountable by using the regulatory tools at its disposal, the government has let BP walk away with fines and hollow promises that it will change its negligent ways.
Having to pay what amounts to a fifth of last year's profits is not enough to rehabilitate this corporate criminal or deter other corporations from putting profits before people.
If the government is serious about serving justice and helping deter corporate behavior that puts our workers and environment at risk, it will suspend BP from federal contracts.
Demand that BP be suspended from federal contracts.
In this country, people convicted of a felony may be prohibited from voting — but a corporate repeat offender can continue to hold lucrative federal contracts if the government decides not to take action.
Let's demand action and remind the government that we are holding it accountable for serving justice.
Thanks for all you do.
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Sincerely,
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