eric holder will see to it that misconduct or willful negligence is found. but what the obamites won't tell you is that they think that merely
being an oil company qualifies as misconduct.
White House Raises Specter of Misconduct in Oil SpillDespite BP's vow to pay "all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs" from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, White House officials are not shying away from suggesting potential misconduct by the company before the accident -- a scenario that would put BP on the hook for all economic damages despite a $75 million cap.
As the White House works with Congress to change a law that caps at $75 million the liability of BP and other companies for economic damages on businesses and the tourism industry, administration officials in recent days have repeatedly highlighted the exceptions to the cap.
"Understand this: There is -- they are fully liable for cleanup and recovery costs per the Oil Pollution Act of 1990," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said this week. "The cap is not in place if somebody is found to be either grossly negligent, conduct willful -- involved in willful misconduct, or in violation of federal regulations. As you know, there's an investigation ongoing as to the cause behind -- behind the spill."
Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer repeated this assertion on the White House blog this week and added: "The bottom line is that the administration will aggressively pursue compensation from BP for any damages from this spill."
It's understandable why the White House is quick to point out exceptions to the cap: The total cost of economic damages from the oil spill is expected to easily exceed the $75 million liability limit and the tide in the Gulf of Mexico moves faster than the tide of Congress.
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