BAKKEN BREAKOUT WEEKLY


NATION & WORLD


Thursday, March 22, 2012 ■ Page 17


Brazil to fi le charges against Chevron executives for Nov. offshore oil spill


STAN LEHMAN Associated Press


prosecutors said March 17 they will fi le criminal charges against 17 executives of Chevron Corp. and drilling contrac- tor Transocean Ltd. for a new oil leak near the offshore well where at least 110,000 gallons (about 416,000 liters) spilled late last year. Those targeted include George Buck,


SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian


curred last year. Del Negri said a federal judge signed


an order late March 17 prohibiting the 17 executives from leaving the country. In a statement e-mailed the night of


year. She spoke on condition of ano- nymity, saying she was not authorized to discuss the matter. Chevron said in its statement that


chief operating offi cer for Chevron’s Brazilian division, federal prosecutors’ spokesman Marcelo del Negri said by telephone. He said prosecutors would fi le the “environmental


charges including


crimes” in a federal court next week, but he did not provide further details. Other than Buck, he did not know


how many of the executives worked for California-based Chevron and how many for Transocean, the drilling con- tractor for the well where the leak oc-


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March 17, Chevron said that neither it nor its executives had been “formally notifi ed of any action by the judiciary” and that “any legal decision will be abided by the company and its em- ployees.” On March 15, Chevron confi rmed


Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency, known as ANP said, explaining the leak was detected because an oil slick ap- peared on the ocean surface. An ANP spokeswoman said the new


leak was “not coming from the well; it’s been sealed. It seems to be coming from fi ssures on the ocean fl oor near the well,” where the leak occurred last


The size of the new leak is unknown,


ANP approved its request to temporar- ily suspend its activities in order to bet- ter understand the reservoirs where it has been drilling. Ibama, Brazil’s environmental pro-


that there was a “small new oil seepage” and said it was working to collect the crude.


tection agency said in a statement posted on its website that Chevron has until March 20 to provide “detailed in- formation on the action taken to miti- gate the environmental impact” of the new leak.


miles (370 kilometers) off the north- eastern coast of Rio de Janeiro state. About two weeks later, ANP said that the leak was under control. Experts had warned, however, that


there was a high risk of oil seepage re- suming. Chevron said at the time then that the spill occurred because it underes- timated the pressure in an underwater reservoir. It said that caused crude oil to rush


The new leak is another challenge for plans to safely extract oil from the offshore fi nds Brazil has seen in recent years. It’s estimated at least 50 billion barrels of oil lie off Brazil’s coast, the biggest discoveries in the Americas in three decades. Oil started leaking from cracks on


the ocean fl oor at the site of a Chevron appraisal well last Nov. 7, about 230


up a bore hole and eventually escape into the surrounding seabed. The oil leaked through at least seven narrow fi ssures on the ocean fl oor, all within 160 feet (50 meters) of the well head. The work at the Frade fi eld in the Campos Basin where the leaks oc- curred is among Chevron’s “biggest capital investments,” according to the company’s website. The fi eld produces close to 62,000


barrels of oil a day.


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