From Houston (BN): BP has asked a US federal judge to limit its maximum pollution penalty to $3,000/bbl rather than $4,300/bbl proposed by the government in the ongoing aftermath of the MACONDO accident and oil spill (SEN, 31/13).

Depending on a final determination of spill volume, the difference could amount to more than $5bn. The request comes as District Judge Carl Barbieri prepares for the third and final phase of BP’s trial, due to start in January, which will determine the company’s total civil penalty under anti-pollution law.

BP’s latest legal gambit arises from the judge’s finding, after phase one of the trial, that BP was ‘grossly negligent’ in the April 2010 spill. That level of culpability exposes the company to the maximum per-barrel penalty allowed by law under Environmental Protection Agency regulations. BP argues that Congress set the maximum at $3,000/bbl in 1990 when it passed the Oil Pollution Act.

The judge has not announced his decision on how much oil spilled (the subject of the trial’s phase two), but whether he leans toward BP’s 3.26mmbbl estimate or the government’s 4.19mmbbl, there’s a lot at stake.

More bad news from the BP spill: Scientists meeting in Brownsville TX expressed alarm that the spill sharply slowed what had been an accelerating recovery of the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, Texas’ state sea turtle. According to reports, the meeting was held a year earlier than planned due to the speed of the population decline. Who knew Texas had a state turtle?

From Aberdeen (IF): The chair of the UK’s Health & Safety Executive says there is a tendency in the oil industry to focus on FAILURE. Judith Hackitt told the 2014 Oil & Gas UK Awards in Aberdeen a fortnight ago that the industry leads in worker engagement with the elected safety representatives system, as well as the new workforce engagement support team. She said these are excellent ways of engaging the whole workforce in managing risk.

‘But we all need to constantly adapt. There is a changing demographic in the...industry as smaller companies emerge in the market. These smaller companies bring fantastic innovation, which these awards recognise, to the industry. Contractors now employ 85% of the workforce,’ added Ms Hackitt.

The HSE chair said there is still a lot of learning for everyone to do - from one another and from good practices, as well as from current incidents.

‘Aside from events like this one tonight which are about celebration, there is a tendency to focus on failure and to focus too much on specific detail,’ she said. ‘We need to be looking for and learning the broader lessons, which are there to be learned about the systemic and cultural improvements we can make to our organisations rather than living with poor communications and a workforce operating under stress and pressure.’

From Houston (BN): Is bidding for EASTERN CANADA offshore leases slowing? After the latest offering of Nova Scotian offshore blocks went begging, Newfoundland-Labrador has also come up empty. C-NLOPB’s Call for Bids NL13-03 (Area B – Western Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore), which closed last week, drew no bids for four parcels offered. Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board earlier said its Call for Bids NS14-1, which closed at the end of October, also drew no bids on Scotian Slope parcels out to 4,100m (31/16).