By Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky
Brazil - Chevron and another American company are under attack from the government of Brazil after allowing an oil leak from an offshore well.
Seventeen executives from Chevron and oil platform operator
Transocean face criminal charges for an oil discharge, about 110,000
gallons, which occurred last November. The equivalent of about 3,000
barrels, it so far pales in comparison to the 4 million-barrel BP oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Transocean was also held partially
responsible for that disaster.
The 17 include George Buck, chief operating officer for Chevron’s
Brazilian division. Buck and the others have been told by Brazilian
prosecutors to turn over their passports and remain in the country.
When more oil was spotted in the water on Friday near the original
leak, Chevron agreed to suspend production, which had been turning out
more than 60,000 barrels of oil a day, even after the November incident.
Prosecutors also have filed a civil lawsuit seeking $11.2 billion
in damages from Chevron, which has accused the government of
overreacting to the size of the spill. Prosecutor Eduardo Santos de
Oliveira told Reuters that Chevron executives may face criminal charges
for drilling in an unsafe location or an unsafe manner.
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