BP

A protester shouts slogans against BP during a demonstration in front of the BP 'Green Curve' Station, in Los Angeles, California, on May 12, 2010. BP battled on May 12 to cap a huge oil leak, lowering a box dubbed 'a top-hat' into the Gulf of Mexico amid mounting US anger over a spill flowing unchecked into the sea for three weeks. Frustrated by the failure to staunch the leak, President Barack Obama dispatched a top team to BP's command center in Houston, Texas, to throw the administration's scientific expertise behind the British oil giant's efforts.

VENICE, LA - DECEMBER 05: Migratory white pelicans take off from the shorline of an island battered by oil from the BP oil spill December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: Marsh grasses battered by oil (SEEN AT CENTER) from the BP oil spill are seen with oil boom December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: Freshly caught oysters are seen on a dock December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: Workers offload oysters December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Former EPA Administrator William Reilly (L) and former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speak during a break in hearings on December, 2, 2010, in Washington, DC. The presidential commission probing the BP oil spill and drilling reforms is meeting to review draft findings ahead of its report to the White House in January.

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Former EPA Administrator William Reilly (L) and former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speak during a break in hearings on December, 2, 2010, in Washington, DC. The presidential commission probing the BP oil spill and drilling reforms is meeting to review draft findings ahead of its report to the White House in January.

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Journalists watch former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speak on a television monitor during a hearing on December, 2, 2010, in Washington, DC. The presidential commission probing the BP oil spill and drilling reforms is meeting to review draft findings ahead of its report to the White House in January.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: Marsh grasses battered by oil (SEEN AT CENTER) from the BP oil spill are seen December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: An oyster fisherman unloads his catch December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: An oyster fisherman unloads his catch December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: An oyster fisherman unloads his catch December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: Marsh grasses covered in oil from the BP oil spill are seen December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS - DECEMBER 06: An oyster fisherman unloads his catch December 6, 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The oyster industry has been crippled by the BP oil spill, dock workers said they used to receive about 2,500 sacks of oysters per day, now they take in around 300. The workers believe oil and dispersants have killed off much of the oyster population. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Former EPA Administrator William Reilly (L) and former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speak during a break in hearings on December, 2, 2010, in Washington, DC. The presidential commission probing the BP oil spill and drilling reforms is meeting to review draft findings ahead of its report to the White House in January.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: An air gun (L), used to keep birds away from oil remaining on the island, is seen behind marsh grasses battered by oil from the BP oil spill December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: A hawk flies over marsh grasses battered by oil from the BP oil spill December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

BARATARIA BAY, LA - DECEMBER 05: A bird flies over marsh grasses battered by oil from the BP oil spill December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Former EPA Administrator William Reilly (L) and former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speak during a break in hearings on December, 2, 2010, in Washington, DC. The presidential commission probing the BP oil spill and drilling reforms is meeting to review draft findings ahead of its report to the White House in January.

VENICE, LA - DECEMBER 05: Migratory white pelicans sit on the battered shorline of an island damaged by oil from the BP oil spill December 5, 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Nearly eight months after the spill, oil remains along the shoreline of some of the barrier islands in the area and has killed off sections of marsh grass. Some of the islands are nesting areas for birds. BP lawyers said that government estimates of the size of the oil spill are too large in a dispute that will mark how many billions of dollars in fines the oil giant will have to pay.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Executive Vice President of Safety & Operational Risk of BP Mark Bly, Director of Special Projects of Transocean Bill Ambrose, Insite Support Service Coordinator of Halliburton / Sperry Sun Drilling Service John Gisclair, and Gulf of Mexico Region Manager�Cementing of Halliburton Richard F. Vargo, Jr., take part in a panel during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout and the causes of the rig explosion.

Prisoners from the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center line up as they prepare to undertake a training exercise to learn how to cleanse oil from birds affected by the oil slick from the BP Deepwater Horizon platform disaster in New Orleans Louisiana, on May 3, 2010. Using remote-controlled submarines to shut off the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is like doing 'open heart surgery at 5,000 feet in the dark,' the head of BP's US operations said. BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay acknowledged that the oil gushing from the fractured well nearly a mile (1,500 meters) below the ocean surface was due to a defective equipment designed to shut down the well in a blowout. Six robotic submarines struggled to activate a 450-tonne blowout preventer valve that failed to work properly when the well exploded April 20, igniting a fire that sent the Deepwater Horizon rig to the ocean floor with 11 workers missing and presumed dead.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Executive Vice President of Safety & Operational Risk of BP Mark Bly (L), and Director of Special Projects of Transocean Bill Ambrose (R) testify during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

One of the New harbor Islands is protected by two oil booms against the oil slick that has passsed inside of the protective barrier formed by the Chandeleur Islands, as cleanup operations continue for the BP Deepwater Horizon platform disaster off Louisiana, on May 10, 2010. Days after failing to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill with a giant dome, BP said it will make a second attempt this week using a smaller version dubbed the 'top hat.' A four-story, 100-ton box was lowered Friday to the seabed to try to capture most of the oil and allow it to be funneled up to a ship on the surface, but it was rendered useless on Sunday when ice crystals formed in its domed roof. BP experts believe the smaller 'top hat' containment box would not suffer the same problem as it would not hold so much freezing cold seawater, and they are preparing to drop it into the inky depths to carry out a similar fix to what is unfolding as one the worst oil spills in US history.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief counsel Fred Bartlit (C) questions witnesses (L-R) Executive Vice President of Safety & Operational Risk of BP Mark Bly, Director of Special Projects of Transocean Bill Ambrose, Insite Support Service Coordinator of Halliburton / Sperry Sun Drilling Service John Gisclair, and Gulf of Mexico Region Manager�Cementing of Halliburton Richard F. Vargo, Jr., during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

Former US senator Bob Graham, Co-Chair, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speaks during meeting of The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling September 28, 2010 at a hotel in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit holds up a piece of a mechanical valve while speaking during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit speaks during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit holds up a piece of a mechanical valve while speaking during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Oil Spill Commission Chairman former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fl) (R) and Co-Chairman former EPA Administrator William Reilly (L) participate during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief counsel Fred Bartlit (2nd L) questions witnesses as (L-R) Commission co-chairs William Reilly and Bob Graham, commission members Elena Melchert, Fran Ulmer, and Don Boesch listen during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Members of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling, (L-R) Terry Garcia, Cherry Murray, co-chairs William Reilly and Bob Graham, Elena Melchert, Fran Ulmer, and Don Boesch, listen during a hearing before the committee November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: As seen on a TV screen, co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Bob Graham (L) makes a closing statement at the end of a hearing before the committee November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP's Macondo well blowout, and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Michael Bromwich (C), director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, speaks with Andrew Inglis (2L), chief executive of Exploration and Production for BP, as Don Winter (L) of the National Academy of Engineering, Rex Tillerson (2R), chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, and Elgie Holstein of the Environmental Defense Fund listen during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Andrew Inglis, chief executive of Exploration and Production for BP, speaks during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit holds up a piece of a mechanical valve while speaking during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit speaks during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, William Reilly (L) makes a closing statement as Bob Graham (R) listens at the end of a hearing before the committee November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP's Macondo well blowout, and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Rex Tillerson (L), chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, and Andrew Inglis (R), chief executive of Exploration and Production for BP, listen while Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, speaks during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Don Winter (L) of the National Academy of Engineering Rex Tillerson (2L), chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, and Andrew Inglis (R), chief executive of Exploration and Production for BP, listen while Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, speaks during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Former US senator Bob Graham, Co-Chair, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speaks during meeting of The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling September 28, 2010 at a hotel in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Co-chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, William Reilly (L) makes a closing statement as Bob Graham (R) listens at the end of a hearing before the committee November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP's Macondo well blowout, and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Andrew Inglis, chief executive of Exploration and Production for BP, speaks during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

William Reilly, Co-Chair, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, speaks as commission member Cherry Murray (L) looks on during a meeting of The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling September 28, 2010 at a hotel in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Oil Spill Commission Chairman former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fl) participates during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit speaks during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: (L-R) Director of Special Projects of Transocean Bill Ambrose, Insite Support Service Coordinator of Halliburton / Sperry Sun Drilling Service John Gisclair, and Gulf of Mexico Region Manager�Cementing of Halliburton Richard F. Vargo, Jr., take part in a panel during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief counsel Fred Bartlit ( L) questions witnesses during a hearing before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling November 8, 2010 at Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the preliminary findings regarding BP�s Macondo well blowout , and the causes of the rig explosion.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit holds up a piece of a mechanical valve while speaking during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit holds up a piece of a mechanical valve while speaking during a two-day hearing of the National Commission of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The commission is hearing testimony on causes of blowout and drilling safety on BP Deepwater Horizon which exploded and leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico.