A team of top federal prosecutors and investigators has taken the first steps toward a formal criminal investigation into oil giant BP's actions before and after the drilling rig disaster off Louisiana.
The investigators, who have been quietly gathering evidence in Louisiana over the last three weeks, are focusing on whether BP skirted federal safety regulations and misled the U.S. government by saying it could quickly clean up an environmental accident.
I know I'm dreaming and all, but wouldn't it be nice if they were fined in a way that actually hurt? I want to see the BP, Transocean and Halliburton boards of directors in striped jumpsuits like an old-timey chain gang cleaning up tar balls for a few years.