Hits keep on coming for BP’s Texas City refinery

Five years after the explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others at its Texas City refinery, BP will pay a record $50.6 million fine for safety violations. Not only that, the company has agreed to spend $500 million to repair existing problems at the facility and submit to an OSHA implementation of review and inspections. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis says the amount of the fine indicates BP’s  “lack of regard for worker safety.” OSHA still seeks $30 million for new safety violations discovered by government inspectors. Last October, OSHA fined BP $87.4 million in proposed fines at the facility. Also in 2009, the company pled guilty to criminal charges and paid another $50 million. Last week the State of Texas sued BP for excess pollution released in April and May at the refinery. Additionally, there’s a $10 billion federal class action lawsuit for that pollution release.