Page 47 - Jean Pascal News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Ombudsman's office says they are extremely serious. but keeping them honest, sources close to the ombudsman's office tells cnn bp doesn't like it and its independent investigators, that it doesn't like employees reporting safety problems outside the company. a union representative says some bp workers who complained have faced retaliation. jean pascal agrees. >> many employees who have actually reported safety, health, environmental and safety issues, particularly in alaska, have been retaliated against. they've been demoted, terminated and they've also been blackballed. >> reporter: a bp spok...

Safety. >> was because of safety, yes. and safety concerns continue yet today. >> reporter: since the ombudsman's office opened, 112 bp workers have come forward to file reports, 35 of them deal with, quote, system integrity or safety issues, and the ombudsman's office says they are extremely serious. but keeping them honest, sources close to the ombudsman's office says bp doesn't like it and its independent investigators and that it doesn't lining employees reporting safety problems outside the company. a union representative says some bp workers who have complained faced retaliation. jean pa...

In fact, the law allows 30 days for this review. given the slow pace of government bureaucracy, no one believes it would get through it in just 30 days. that's another reason why the agency gave the industry a pass. the interior department won't comment because of pending litigation. but now the whole process is being reexamined by the white house, too late to help the gulf. joe johns, cnn, washington. >> along with the cozy relationship with regulators, bp has been plagued with safety questions and some have come from their own employees, who says bp puts profit over people. bp has been aware...

Reports. >> reporter: for 26 years, jean pascal was a lawyer for the environmental protection agency, investigating and helping prosecute some of the worst environmental polluters in the northwest, including oil companies in alaska. and the worst of the worst, she says, is british petroleum. you describe bp as a serial environmental criminal. >> i have. >> reporter: you believe that? >> i do. >> reporter: bp has plead guilty to illegally discharging oil in alaska and also faces a criminal complaint, alleging it violated clean air and water laws. pascal retired earlier this year so she is now f...

bp says high winds caused the containment cap to wobble today, leading to a slight drop in oil collection. meanwhile admiral thad allen says skimming capability has increased five fold since the beginning of june. even so, bobby jindal says local parishes are still waiting for their cleanup equipment. and a new forecast by noaa says there's an 80% choice that the oil will reach miami, that's right, miami, by the middle of august. it's already made its way to the panhandle of florida where a new health watch was issued for all pensacola beaches, a disastrous start for the holiday week...