Top bar

About POGO's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (FCMD)

The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

BP P.L.C.

Texas City Refinery Explosion – Guilty Plea

Date: 10/25/2007 (Date of Plea)

Misconduct Type: Labor

Enforcement Agency: Multiple Agencies

Contracting Party: None

Court Type: Criminal

Amount: $50,000,400

Disposition: Pleaded Guilty

Synopsis: BP Products North America Inc. agreed to plead guilty to a one-count felony violation of the Clean Air Act for conduct that resulted in a March 2005 explosion and fire at its Texas City refinery that killed 15 and injured more than 170 others. BP admitted that from 1999 up until the day of the incident, several safety procedures required by the Clean Air Act had not been implemented. BP will pay a $50 million criminal fine (the largest ever assessed under the Act), a $400 special assessment, and serve three years of probation. BP will also be required to implement various facility-wide renovations that are expected to cost up to $265 million. See related BP Amoco P.L.C. misconduct instances, “Workplace Safety Violations (Texas City Refinery)” and “2005 Texas City Refinery Explosion – Civil Litigation”