US probes BP Alaska leak
16 Jun 2006
BP receives grand jury subpoena requiring it to supply documentation and data regarding recent oil pipeline leak
London -- BP has been received a subpoena from a US grand jury requiring it to supply documentation and data regarding a recent major oil pipeline leak in Alaska, David Nicholas, a BP spokesman has confirmed.
“We received a subpoena about six weeks ago,” said Nicholas, who added that the grand jury request was a standard part of the US investigative process. BP’s policy is to co-operate with the investigation at every level, he added
The spokesman went on to quote a statement from Steve Marshall, BP’s head of exploration in Alaska, saying that “We believe that the information we provide will show that our actions were at all times proper.”
In March, around 6,000 barrels of crude oil leaked from a BP Alaska pipeline with an output of 100,000 barrels/day. While BP has since identified corrosion as the cause of the leak, US investigators are reportedly focusing on the oil company’s pipeline maintenance regime in the region.