Deepwater Horizon

BP has big problems, and not just because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the $20 billion compensation fund it set up to pay the victims. The petro-giant has been missing Wall Street's profit targets lately, thanks to sloppy operations and a general trend toward lower gasoline consumption.

Oil industry practices and government rules must be subjected to substantial reform to prevent future accidents similar to BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last April, said a report released Tuesday by the presidential panel probing the incident.

Facing widespread calls for boycotts, owners responded by hammering home the message that the U.K. oil company doesn't own most of the retail locations that bear its name. Now as anger fades, business is coming back, and few owners ditched the brand.

The Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may have unleashed a chain of events that could extend economically far beyond the region, threatening one of the world's most lucrative fishing species -- the bluefin tuna. The main culprit: the dispersants used to dissolve the oil.

The Obama administration will temporarily ban the sale of new offshore oil drilling leases in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast, Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday, a policy change made in response to lessons learned from BP's horrific Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

BP (BP) continues to sell assets in order to cover costs related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It is now selling its 60% stake in Pan American Energy in South America. This gives its joint venture partner Bridas Group control of the company. BP will collect $7.06 billion for the transaction....

The U.S. Interior Department has accused the White House of misrepresenting scientists' views to imply they were in favor of an oil-drilling ban. In actuality, the scientists hadn't been asked for their opinions on whether the ban would do any good, according to a department report.

The lead investigator for the presidential panel's investigation of April's Deepwater Horizon oil-spill disaster that killed 11 workers refuted previous reports that the rig's majority owner BP Plc and contractor Halliburton Co. compromised safety by cutting corners during the rig's construction, the New York Times reported.

Seven companies involved in the oil and gas industries will pay the U.S. government a total of $236.5 million to settle corruption charges. An investigation by the SEC and the Justice Department alleges that the companies bribed overseas officials to lower customs duties, extend drilling contacts and streamline the permit process for oil drilling.

A federal commission investigating the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, issued a scathing report today, saying BP and its cement contractor Halliburton knew that test results for the cement to be used as a plug for the bottom of the oil well showed the cement unstable.