BP pays $102M settlement for overcharging California
A free lunchtime Social Media Brown Bag workshop to be held Wednesday will teach attendees about 2018 predictions.
Vanessa Castillo, social media coach and digital marketing strategist with the Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center, will lead the workshop from 12-1 p.m.at the AWC SBDC office, 1351 S. Redondo Center Drive, Suite 101.
Castillo will focus on the social media prediction on how “augmented reality” will provide a real-world shopping experience from home.
“Join us for next week’s Social Media Brown Bag on Wednesday to find out more about this prediction of mine,” Castillo said.
Attendees are invited to bring their own “brown bag” lunch to enjoy during the workshop. For more information, call 928-317-6151.
RDO awards grant Tacna Fire Department
Tacna Fire Department received a $16,500 grant from RDO Equipment Co. through its Community Builder program, a unique initiative supported by the Offutt Family Foundation and open to employees of R.D. Offutt Company, parent company of RDO Equipment Co. and R.D. Offutt Farms.
The grants were especially aimed at volunteer fire departments. All R.D. Offutt Company team members who are active volunteer firefighters were invited to apply for a Community Builder grant.
Craig Johnson, volunteer firefighter and team member of RDO Equipment Co. Wellton, recently accepted the grant on behalf of Tacna Fire Department.
As part of the application, Johnson explained how the grant will benefit the local community along with information about his personal commitment to the fire department.
The grant will be used to address various crucial needs of the fire department, including purchase of new, specialty gear and equipment.
Community Builder applications are submitted year-round and awarded twice a year. Because of the number of team members who donate time to their local volunteer fire department, this round of submissions was specially designated for rural and volunteer fire departments.
“The response we received was overwhelming and speaks to the great needs our communities have in providing resources to volunteer fire departments,” Jean Zimmerman, executive vice president of RDO Equipment Co., said.
“Supporting our communities is important to the Offutt Family Foundation and these grants will greatly impact, not just the volunteer fire departments, but the citizens who rely on this crucial community service.”
A total of 41 volunteer and rural fire departments across the R.D. Offutt Company footprint were awarded more than $500,000 in Community Builder grants.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — BP Energy Co. is paying California $102 million to settle claims that it overcharged the state for natural gas between 2003 and 2012, officials announced Thursday.
The company regularly violated contracts to provide gas for numerous state agencies and other governments by exceeding the agreed-upon price cap, then concealed the overcharges by providing false and misleading information, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra said.
“At one point, BP employees described the transactions with the state of California, when they were overcharging us, as undertakings with the state that, ‘Was allowing them to squeeze gold out of that goose,’” Becerra said. “Well, California just squeezed back — 102 million times we squeezed back.”
BP, the largest naturalgas marketer in North America, said the state’s allegations “were entirely without merit.”
“BP strongly believes it honestly and fairly met its obligations under its con- tracts with the state,” the company said in a statement.
However, to avoid more legal costs and the possibility of an adverse verdict, the company agreed to settle “for an amount well below what the state demanded in its complaint” in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.
The state’s lawsuit contended that BP overcharged the state at least $150 million to $300 million, and the state sought triple damages. However, Becerra could not say how much the state was actually overcharged because he and aides said it is under dispute and varies depending on what models are considered.
The investigation began in 2012 with a former employee’s complaint that revealed the overcharges, and that whistleblower will get a share of the settlement, Becerra said.