BP agrees to record settlement, estimates total cost of Gulf spill will reach $53.8 billion ADVERTISING BP agrees to record settlement, estimates total cost of Gulf spill will reach $53.8 billion NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trying to close the books
BP agrees to record settlement, estimates total cost of Gulf spill will reach $53.8 billion
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trying to close the books on the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, BP agreed Thursday to provide billions of dollars in new money to five Gulf Coast states in a deal the company said would bring its full obligations to an estimated $53.8 billion.
Federal and state government officials touted the record-breaking $18.7 billion agreement as a historic milestone in the Gulf Coast’s recovery. The Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 rig workers and spewed millions of gallons of crude that stained beaches, coated wildlife and polluted marshes.
BP also gets a valuable return: Much of the payments, to be made over the next 18 years, could be tax-deductible. And by finally providing shareholders with a clearer cost picture, the London-based oil giant will be freer to embark on new ventures.
“This allows us to manage BP as an oil company,” BP CEO Bob Dudley said during a conference call. He said BP could launch as many as 20 major new projects by 2020, depending on oil prices.
The Justice Department said Thursday’s agreement would be the largest environmental settlement in U.S. history as well as the largest-ever civil settlement with a single entity. Civil claims by the five Gulf states and the federal government were, by far, the largest unresolved piece of BP’s financial obligations for the spill.
Obama’s ‘light footprint’ counterterrorism strategy coming under increasing criticism
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, it was a cause for celebration: Meticulous intelligence analysis backed by Hellfire missiles had paid off, once again.
The CIA launched a drone strike last month on a Yemeni beach at three men it determined were al-Qaida militants. One of them turned out to be Nasser al-Wahishi, about as important a figure as agency man-hunters could hope to eliminate. He had been both al-Qaida’s second in command and the leader of the group’s dangerous Yemeni affiliate.
American officials touted the death as a big victory. But did the demise of another senior extremist, the latest in a long line to be taken off the battlefield, make the United States and its allies any safer?
To many experts, including a growing number of former Obama administration national security advisers, that proposition is less convincing by the day.
With al-Qaida and the Islamic State group enjoying safe havens across parts of Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and with terror attacks on the rise worldwide, doubts are growing about the effectiveness and sustainability of the administration’s “light footprint” strategy against global extremist movements. A template predicated on training local forces and bombing terrorists from the air is actually making the situation worse, some say. Many are arguing for deeper U.S. involvement, if not with regular ground troops, then at least with elite advisers and commandos taking more risks in more places.
Iowa Catholic leaders call on GOP hopefuls to heed pope’s teachings on climate, economics
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Roman Catholic leaders in the early voting state of Iowa implored candidates for president Thursday to take up Pope Francis’ call for “profound political courage” by focusing their campaigns as much on improving the environment and income inequality as they have on opposing gay marriage and abortion in past elections.
The vocal pivot from such traditional social issues marks the first time U.S. Catholic bishops have publicly asked those seeking the White House to heed the admonitions of Francis’ June encyclical, said Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines.
In Francis’ major teaching document, the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics called for a “sweeping revolution” to correct a “structurally perverse” economic system that allows the rich to exploit the poor and has turned the Earth into an “immense pile of filth.”
“These are going to be difficult decisions that have to be made,” said the Rev. Bud Grant of Davenport, joined at a news conference by bishops from central and eastern Iowa. “Politicians have to have the courage to do the right thing, and not necessarily the politically expedient thing.”
The push from bishops threatens to disrupt the historically reliable alliance of evangelical Christians and conservative Roman Catholic voters, putting pressure on Republicans who have leaned on their religious faith to guide them on social issues.
Summer is sizzling: Heat records fall as US West bakes under record heat heading into July 4th
(AP) From Seattle to Salt Lake City, the West is baking under record heat. Temperatures reaching the triple digits have made fire conditions extreme and sent folks looking for relief heading into the Fourth of July weekend. Unfortunately, the forecast in many areas calls for more sun and sweat.
Gimmicks and technology: Wealthy Southern California enclave proves it can learn to save water
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (AP) — Billboards and TV commercials, living room visits, guess-your-water-use booths, and awards for water stinginess — a wealthy swath of Orange County that once had one of the worst records for water conservation in drought-stricken California is turning things around, proving it’s possible to get people to change their ways.
The 154,000-customer Santa Margarita Water District cut its water use 18 percent in May, compared with a pitiful 3 percent in the previous 11 months, state officials announced this week.
The agency achieved it by, among other things, holding small meetings in people’s homes, knocking on 2,000 doors, plastering the city with save-water billboards, conspicuously honoring its most frugal citizens, and rushing to get an innovative runoff recycling system up and running earlier than planned.
The agency also offers rebates for ripping up grass and installing low-flow toilets, more efficient washing machines and drip irrigation systems, and it has put aside $30 million for capital improvements with the goal of increasing the use of recycled water to 30 percent from 17 percent.
The savings prove that Californians can conserve water when pressed and when they understand what is at stake, said Jonathan Volzke, district spokesman. That message is even stronger in Santa Margarita, where the district did not use any rate increases, fines or penalties against water wasters, he said.
Sonia Manzano, who played beloved Maria on ‘Sesame Street’ for decades, is retiring
NEW YORK (AP) — “Sesame Street” is about to be less A-OK. Sonia Manzano, who has played the role of Maria on the groundbreaking kid show since 1971, is retiring.
Manzano, 65, broke the news earlier this week at the American Library Association Annual Conference. She said she wouldn’t be part of PBS’ new “Sesame Street” season.
A beloved resident of Sesame Street since she was a teenager, the character Maria owned the neighborhood repair shop with husband Luis (played by Emilio Delgado, who remains on the show).
Manzano also served as a writer for the show, sharing in 15 Emmy awards as a member of the writing team. She has also written children’s books.
Born in a Puerto Rican neighborhood of The Bronx that resembled the city world “Sesame Street” would later embrace, Manzano attended Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts and then Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
