WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. lawmakers Thursday ripped into top executives of BP PLC for failing to prevent a major Alaskan pipeline from getting crippled by corrosion.
The energy giant's leaders appeared before a panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and got the proverbial earful from Republicans and Democrats alike, CNN reported.
"Years of neglecting to inspect the most important oil-gathering pipeline in this country is not acceptable," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., used his time at the microphone to mock BP for its "Beyond Petroleum" advertising logo.
"BP stands for a company with bloated profits that failed to fix bad pipelines," he said.
BP cut output at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay field last month after government-mandated inspections revealed severe pipeline corrosion. The British company also is being investigated for a pipeline spill of 200,000 gallons in March, and for allegedly manipulating energy prices in 2004. In addition, an explosion in a Texas refinery last year killed 15 BP workers.
BP executives will spend part of Friday testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
