If BP were a person (as it now is, legally, under the ridiculous Citizens United Supreme Court ruling of 2010), it would be in serious s*** right now. It is under a federal criminal investigation due to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and it has violated its terms of probation twice in the last year.
Despite this, though, it is still getting millions upon millions of dollars in government contracts. Can you imagine the U.S. government buying millions upon millions of dollars worth of goods from a recognized drug lord in such a position? (OK, well, nevermind….)
But, seriously, this is not right.
Last week, Jason Leopold of Truthout wrote, “the Defense Logistics Agency [recently] awarded Air BP, a division of BP Products North America, a $42 million contract to supply fuel to Dover Air Force Base for the next month and a half. BP is the biggest supplier of fuel to the Defense Department.”
Furthermore, this award was not given out under a normal bidding process. No, BP got the award without having to go up against normal competition or bidding that would lower the price of their product because the contract was identified as “an unusual and compelling urgency” contract. In other words, “the government would be ‘seriously injured‘ and national security could be at risk unless the Defense Logistics Agency was permitted to ‘limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals.'”
Offering contracts under “unusual and compelling urgency” is apparently quite common when open competition is limited by the government, according to Scott Amey, general counsel for watchdog group Project On Government Oversight (POGO).
“On POGO’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, BP comes in at number 48 in a list of the top 100 government contractors. But the company ranks second, behind Lockheed Martin, as having the most instances of misconduct – 53 – since 1995….”
Oh, what a nice relationship BP and the U.S. government seem to have. It’s no wonder the company is looking to get off without perhaps paying any taxes (and maybe even getting money from the government) after last year’s oil spill that “hurt them so bad.”
For more on the story above and BP’s recent probation violations, check out the full Truthout article: BP Still Being Awarded Lucrative Government Contracts.
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- NASA: Toxic Dispersants Did Rain on Gulf Coast from BP Oil Spill “Cleanup”
- More BP Oil Spill Reflections: Could Another Similar Disaster Happen? “Absolutely”
- Offshore Oil Drilling after Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill — No New Safeguards, GOP Push for Less Oversight
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