The Baker Panel Report - ABSA

III. Structure and Operations The Chair of the Independent Panel will be James A. Baker, III. The Independent Panel will establish and make public its own operating rules and will meet where and as provided by such rules, byresolution or act of the Independent Panel or by call of the Independent Panel Chair. A majority of the members of the Independent Panel, one of whom must be the Chair, will constitute a quorum. The Independent Panel will act by majority vote of the members. The Independent Panel will meet as often as required in order to accomplish its purposes under this Charter, and is not precludedfrom meeting in public or in private, as it deems appropriate. The liaison with the Independent Panel will be a designated representative of BP p.l.c. who is not employed by or an officer of BPProducts. The liaison shall be readily available to the Independent Panel, and shall facilitate communications among theIndependent Panel, BP p.l.c. and the CSB. The Independent Panel will establish arrangements to provide for its staffing and other administrative needs.IV. Independent Panel Written Report The Independent Panel will be solely responsible for the final content of its written report and will furnish to the Group ChiefExecutive of BP p.l.c. progress reports and the final report. The final report will be delivered to BP p.l.c. through its Group Chief Executive for review and subsequent delivery to the CSB, BPp.l.c.’s workforce, and the public. While BP p.l.c. may comment on the Independent Panel’s report and may seek correction of anyfactual inaccuracies, the report will remain under the sole control of the Independent Panel. The Independent Panel will use best efforts to complete its final report within 12 months from its establishment. To the extent the Independent Panel makes recommendations to the Group Chief Executive of BP p.l.c. prior to completing its finalreport, the Group Chief Executive will promptly make them available to the BP workforce and the public.V. Resources and Authority of the Independent Panel BP Products will provide the Independent Panel with all necessary funding, resources and authority in order to conduct the thorough,independent and credible inquiry contemplated by the CSB recommendation. The Independent Panel will use its best efforts to provide for the reasonable management of all costs and expenses that it incurs. The Independent Panel will have full and broad access to relevant documents, information, facilities and personnel, other thanmaterial that is subject to a good faith claim of attorney-client privilege or attorney work-product protection. The information towhich the Independent Panel will have access will include the substantial amounts of information already gathered by the BP p.l.c.,including the information already gathered by BP p.l.c. during the course of its own investigation of the March 23, 2005, explosion atTexas City. The Independent Panel and its members and staff will use BP p.l.c. information obtained in the course of IndependentPanel work solely for the purpose of the Independent Panel’s work as commissioned in this Charter. BP p.l.c. will provide theIndependent Panel with access to administrative and technical support or services that the Independent Panel requires, and theIndependent Panel will have the authority to retain any staff, outside counsel, experts, consultants and advisors that it deemsnecessary and appropriate to carry out its duties and responsibilities. It will be the responsibility of the Independent Panel to ensurethat all such staff, outside counsel, experts, consultants and advisors do not have conflicts that prevent their rendering independentadvice and counsel.1 BP p.l.c. conducts its U.S. refinery operations through BP Products at five different locations: Texas City, Texas; Carson, California; Whiting,Indiana; Cherry Point, Washington; and Toledo, Ohio.Panel Charter C A-2