Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China
great-power politics as bad for business. But U.S. sanctions on Chinese tech companies and an increase in trade-protectionist policies under Biden and his predecessor Trump have forced American tech firms to work mainly with companies and countries viewed as friendly to the United States.The U.S. Department of Justice in 2020 blocked Google, Meta and Amazon from building fiber-optic cables from the United States to Hong Kong due to concerns about Chinese spying.Microsoft – whose President Brad Smith said in 2017 that the tech sector needed to be a “neutral digital Switzerland” &ndash
TechnipFMC Resolves US and Brazil Probes
would pay $301.3 million to resolve anti-corruption probes with Brazilian and U.S. authorities, and added it was committed to resolving another probe on its affairs with French authorities.TechnipFMC said in a statement published late on Tuesday that it had agreed to the resolutions with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and Brazilian authorities to resolve anti-corruption investigations in Brazil and relating to the intermediary, Unaoil.The company agreed to pay $301.3 million to those authorities to resolve investigations into conduct dating back over
US Judge Approves BP Civil Settlement with US Government over 2010 Spill
pay up to $18.7 billion in penalties to the U.S. government and five states. The company at the time said its total pre-tax charges from the spill set aside for criminal and civil penalties and cleanup costs were around $53.8 billion. Under the terms of the original agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Gulf Coast states, BP will pay at least $12.8 billion for Clean Water Act fines and natural resource damages, plus $4.9 billion to states. The payouts will be staggered over some 16 18 years. The rig explosion on April 20, 2010, the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history,
NOAA, Deepwater Horizon Trustees Announce Draft Restoration Plans
Horizon Oil Spill Draft Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statementallocates Natural Resource Damage Assessment monies that are part of a comprehensive settlement agreement in principle among BP, the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of federal agencies, and the five affected Gulf States announced on July 2, 2015. The Department of Justice lodged today in U.S. District Court a consent decree as part of the more than $20 billion dollar settlement. Image removed by sender. DWH explosion The BP Macondo Deepwater
Noble Pleads Guilty to Enviro Charges Surrounding Kulluk
Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged with environmental and maritime crimes for operating the drill ship Noble Discoverer and the drilling unit Kulluk in violation of federal law in Alaska in 2012, the Department of Justice announced. Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in federal court today, Noble will plead guilty to eight felony offenses, pay $12.2 million dollars in fines and community service payments, implement a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan, and will be placed on probation for four years. In addition, Noble’s parent corporation, Noble Corporation plc, headquartered
US, ATP-IP Reach Settlement over Unauthorized Oil Discharges
and perform corrective measures to resolve claims by the U.S. under the Clean Water Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) of unauthorized discharges of oil and chemicals from an oil platform into the Gulf of Mexico, announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). This is the first joint judicial enforcement action involving EPA and BSEE claims in response to alleged violations of both the Clean Water Act and OCSLA. The United States’ complaint
New Fisheries Assistant Administrator at NOAA
corner on overfishing, protect endangered marine species, and promote smart management approaches to build sustainable fisheries, and vibrant coastal communities." Early in her career, Sobeck worked in the NOAA Office of General Counsel from 1979-1984. She then served at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division from 1984-2009. Sobeck currently serves as acting assistant secretary of the Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs. She has served as deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior
Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destruction of Evidence
Halliburton Energy Services Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Department of Justice announced today. A criminal information charging Halliburton with one count of destruction of evidence was filed today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Halliburton has signed a cooperation and guilty plea agreement with the government in which Halliburton has agreed to plead guilty and admit its criminal conduct. As part of the plea agreement, Halliburton has further agreed, subject to the court’s approval
Halliburton Plea May Help BP in Spill Liability Battle
guilty to destroying evidence of internal tests it conducted showing there was no difference between the effectiveness of putting six or 21 casing centralizers on the well, reports Reuters. Centralizers help stabilize the well bore during cementing and, prior to the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Halliburton had sought in court proceedings to pin blame on BP for the blowout because of its decision to save time and money by using only six centralizers. According to Reuters, the plea would seem to hurt Halliburton as it seeks to settle its share of private claims over the disaster
February 2025
