Judge's decision on BP plea deal still months away

The possible October ruling by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal will mean that a year will have passed since the agreement between BP and federal prosecutors was announced.

The agreement, which has a BP subsidiary pleading guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act, calls for a $50 million fine and sentences the oil giant to three years' probation for its role in the Texas City blast that killed 15 people and injured more than 170.

The victims think the fine is low and that the terms of probation within the plea deal do not provide for an independent watchdog to monitor whether BP would meet its safety obligations at the refinery.

Federal prosecutors and BP have defended the plea agreement, saying it's the harshest option available in assessing criminal punishment. A congressional committee is investigating the deal.

Rosenthal said she needed two more sets of information before she can decide whether to accept the plea agreement.

She requested that attorneys for blast victims submit a report from an expert witness detailing why they think BP is not currently meeting safety requirements outlined in agreements the oil giant entered into with state and federal authorities after the blast.

The judge also asked blast victims attorneys to provide detailed information about actual economic losses their clients have suffered so she can determine if these losses are greater than the $50 million fine that is being proposed.

Attorneys for blast victims were directed to gather this information on economic losses from a representative group of 50 victims, made up of those 15 who were killed and 35 others who suffered the most serious injuries or property losses as a result of the blast.

Federal prosecutors and attorneys for BP questioned whether such information was needed to make a decision.