On Tuesday, BP was ordered to pay $25 million in civil fines, arising from two 2006 spills in parts of its Alaskan pipeline. The oil company was cited for its failure to comply with court orders to make safety changes. The fine is the largest per-barrel fine ever levied against an oil company, and is yet another hit against BP’s already tarnished reputation. Prosecutors believe that it could signal larger fines for the 2010 Gulf oil spill. It’s expected that they’ll be fined at least $20 billion if found guilty of negligence.
