Settlements for Company Sins Can No Longer Aid Other Projects, Sessions Says - Polidicks

edit: [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/us/politics/settlements-sessions-attorney-general.html?ribbon-ad-idx=3&rref=business/energy-environment"]source[/URL]. also this is from june 9, 2017, so it's a bit old. [QUOTE]When companies settle claims of wrongdoing, they are often compelled to pay for environmental or community development projects as well as pay fines and direct compensation to victims. Sometimes the third-party payments are only marginally related to the damages caused by the company’s actions. To settle claims from the Gulf oil spill, [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/02/us/bp-oil-spill-settlement-background.html?mcubz=1"]BP was required to spend billions[/URL] on coastal restoration projects that were not directly related to spill damage. [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/business/volkswagen-diesel-penalties.html?mcubz=1"]Volkswagen is financing electric vehicle charging stations[/URL] under its settlement of the diesel emissions cheating scandal. [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/us/duke-energy-to-pay-fine-over-power-plant-violations.html?mcubz=1"]Duke Energy paid for soil restoration[/URL] on federal land as part of its compensation for air pollution violations at some of its power plants in North Carolina. That longstanding practice is now under attack on two fronts, potentially jeopardizing a source of financing for initiatives across the country that supporters say have paid great environmental and social dividends. Critics say the practice effectively creates “slush funds” for favored organizations or causes. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, [URL="https://www.eenews.net/assets/2017/06/07/document_gw_01.pdf"]in a memo issued this week[/URL], directed the [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/us-justice-department"]Justice Department[/URL] to no longer include funding for projects managed by outside groups in settlements with corporate wrongdoers. The settlement money will instead go exclusively to the federal Treasury or to victims of the company’s actions, Mr. Sessions said.[/QUOTE] Basically, companies are compelled to help improve the environment (edit: in ways not directly related to the incident, which this is about) when something like the bp oil spill happens. gop wants to stop that.

You like socializing the damage why not socialize the cost?

Every time I think the Republicans can't be any more brazenly open about being the official party of big business they find a new way to surprise me

Is this that terrible of an idea? It seems like it would result in more of the settlement funds going to people who actually were affected. This is assuming of course the amount paid out in settlements remains the same.

[QUOTE=Harbie;53012255]Is this that terrible of an idea? It seems like it would result in more of the settlement funds going to people who actually were affected. This is assuming of course the amount paid out in settlements remains the same.[/QUOTE] Got to agree. The money should be spent on what was harmed, not on some politician's favourite social or environmental project.

[QUOTE=download;53012350]Got to agree. The money should be spent on what was harmed, not on some politician's favourite social or environmental project.[/QUOTE] Well, good news, it's going to that... and also the Federal government's general wallet. That's one way to pay for the tax cuts the Republicans wanted to enact for the rich back when this story came out, I guess. [QUOTE]The settlement money will instead go exclusively to the federal Treasury or to victims of the company’s actions, Mr. Sessions said.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;53012548]Well, good news, it's going to that... and also the Federal government's general wallet. That's one way to pay for the tax cuts the Republicans wanted to enact for the rich back when this story came out, I guess.[/QUOTE] Wouldn't this be (effectively) a higher federal tax on corporations when they fuck up? Isn't that what people here are usually clambering for?