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Sunday, 20 July, 2008, 02:50 GMT | more prices >>

Browne ‘not focused on BP refinery ops’



By Upstream staff 

Photo by EPA


Texas attorney Brett Coon, who represents victims of the 2005 explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery, said former BP chief executive John Browne portrayed himself as focused on the company's growth rather than US refinery operations during questioning on Friday.

"He was not that involved or truly concerned about the refining sector," said Coon, who fought a two-year legal battle to depose Browne as part of the lawsuits from the deadly 2005 explosion at BP's giant Texas City, Texas, refinery.

"They were looking (at) where do we grab the next oilfield, the next thing, where do they grow," he said.

Coon questioned Browne by telephone on Friday morning for an hour about his role in overseeing BP's US refineries.

A BP spokesman declined comment about the deposition except to confirm the questioning took place.

In March 2007, the US Chemical Safety Board found that cost cutting at the Texas City refinery was a cause of the 2005 explosion, which killed 15 workers and injured 180 others.

"He agreed the budget cuts came from the top," Coon said. "He said something like, 'We made these to be more competitive.'"

BP has taken responsibility for the explosion and set aside $2 billion to pay lawsuits brought against the company. BP has also paid millions of dollars in fines to federal regulators.

In his 12-year tenure at the top of BP, Browne is credited with growing the company from a regional player into a globe-straddling energy giant through acquisitions of rival companies, Reuters reported.


Monday, 07 April, 2008, 02:01 GMT  | last updated: Monday, 07 April, 2008, 03:22 GMT

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