BP (formerly British Petroleum) has become one of the world’s most
controversial giant corporations because of its involvement in a series
of major environmental and industrial accidents. The company has been
the target of intense criticism for its role in the April 2010 explosion
at a drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and
caused an underwater leak that spewed millions of gallons of crude oil
into the ocean, creating the most serious environmental disaster in U.S.
history.The company later pled guilty to manslaughter and other
criminal charges and paid billions in fines, penalties and settlements.
This incident in the Gulf occurred while BP was still contending with
the legal and public relations fallout from a deadly explosion at a
refinery in Texas, oil spills in the Alaskan tundra, and charges of
manipulating energy commodities markets. BP has also faced human rights
charges in countries such as Indonesia, Turkey, and Colombia.
BP
got its start exploring for oil in Persia (now Iran), where, in the
1950s, it enlisted the help of the American CIA to overthrow a populist
leader who had nationalized the company’s assets in the country. Over
the past quarter-century BP has solidified its position as one of the
premier global oil companies with a series of acquisitions in the United
States: Standard Oil of Ohio (1987), Amoco (1998) and Atlantic
Richfield (2000).
