BP subpoenaed by grand jury over Prudhoe Bay, Alaska oil spill
6/07/06
Anchorage, Alaska
British oil giant BP, has received a subpoena from the federal grand jury in Alaska investigating an oil spill in March and other operational areas, it said on Thursday."BPXA (BP Alaska) will comply fully with the government in responding to the subpoena and with the grand jury investigation," Steve Marshall, president of BP Alaska, told staff in a recent email. A BP spokesman confirmed the email.
"I believe that the information we provide will show that the actions of BPXA were, at all times, proper," Marshall said, adding the grand jury had asked for documents and data.
Pipeline corrosion was behind an oil transit line leak that resulted in a March spill of over 200,000 gallons of crude oil onto snow-covered tundra in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, making it the largest oil spill ever recorded on the state's North Slope.
The incident triggered federal and state investigations that could result in a potential fine at a time when BP and other large oil companies are trying to win legislative support for a profit-linked tax bill and contract for a $20 billion gas pipeline. .