What’s It With Great Britain – Their Darling BP Is On The Hook
Friday, June 11, 2010, 12:59 PM | 4 Comments
One of the worst man-made disasters in the history of mainland America is on display for the world to see. The businessmen and the engineers have not been able to control the situation. They are unable to plug the hole, so to speak. However, investors and politicians in Great Britain (GB) are becoming increasingly angry at the blistering attacks at BP from across the Atlantic.
Plug the hole or not, they want the U.S. to somehow let BP off the hook. You know why they are mad that we are mad at BP? I tell you why. BP is the darling and mainstay of the stock market and a favorite of pension funds in Great Britain.
Public Enemy
The United States should officially declare BP as Public Enemy No. 1. We in America don’t care who creates a disaster of this magnitude – American or otherwise. When you do something wrong, you must be able to bear the responsibility and the consequences of your act. Wikipedia says BP is the third largest energy company and the fourth largest company in the world. In other words, they have not been able to plug their hole not for lack of resources. The unplug hole has started to stink now in all directions. Ask the wildlife if you have doubts.
But wait – BP got immunity from the U.S.
BP applied for and received a “categorical exclusion” from the National Environmental Policy Act, which means BP did not have to produce a detailed environmental analysis of Deepwater Horizon, according to Washington Post. BP claimed a spill was “unlikely” and if it did occur would cause “no significant adverse impacts” and would not exceed 4,600 bbl.
That means BP didn’t do what they should have been required to do
- Experts have identified errors in the oil well design presented to Congress, according to NOLA.
Oil Entering The Marshes
- BP’s chief drilling engineer admits that days before the explosion, he noticed ballooning in the well walls. He also noticed drilling mud seeping into the earth through the well lining. [The question comes to mind is “Did the chief notify the higher ups especially someone like EPA?”]
- BP halted tests on the well lining five days before the explosion and kept oilfield testing firm Schlumberger on standby, according to NOLA. Schlumberger is Global oilfield and information services company with a major focus on energy.
- A Transocean document from 2001 identified 260 design errors that could require removal of the blowout preventer. Regrettably, the US government also knew it was faulty but for some reasons, didn’t do “nothing.”
- Oil rig worker Mike Mason told Huffington Post he observed cheating on blowout preventer tests at least 100 times, including on wells owned by BP. [Did Mike notify the authorities before the disaster?]
- The loss of lives could have been prevented. However, BP did not evacuate Deepwater Horizon, despite multiple huge warning signs on the day of the explosion.
Why Investors and Politicians in GB are mad?
BP’s share price has fallen more than 40 percent since the environmental catastrophe in April. Some analysts say the crisis could lead to the takeover or even the bankruptcy of one of Britain’s most valuable and iconic companies.
So the more pounding on BP’s head with a raw sludge hammer [sledgehammer] from the U.S., the more protective backlash from GB, the closest of American allies.
Go soft on our cousins
I am sure nobody in the White House and the U.S. Congress is thinking right now who[m] the culprit belongs to and where it’s registered. It doesn’t seem like a natural disaster. Man-made disasters must follow responsibility and consequences. We must not demonize our “traditional” cousins. But we must require accountability and responsibility from anyone under whose watch a disaster of this magnitude can potentially occur in future. The wildlife will thank you for that.
In a Nutshell
Everyone just wants to somehow plug the hole before it turns into a black hole. It is by the way a black hole now. We should not over-politicized the situation. Politics has never stood on firm ground. It’s always in a quagmire. Having said that, innocent lives in the form of humans and wildlife have been wasted. Someone’s gotta pay for it.
1 Trackback(s)
- Jun 12, 2010: What's It With Great Britain - Their Darling BP Is On The Hook Drugs on Me
4 Responses to “What’s It With Great Britain – Their Darling BP Is On The Hook”
By ebook leser on Jun 12, 2010, 1:13 am | Reply
A natural disaster indescribable proportions: In the Gulf of Mexico flows apparently more oil per hour from the borehole to be accepted initially for one whole day was. Thus, all five days is expelled as much as a whole after the wreck of the Exxon Valdez. ” I wonder why the policy has not yet acted, and closing down the existing conveyor systems for now. Learning the politicians, because nothing of it.
By lem on Jun 15, 2010, 12:26 pm | Reply
Do you also apply your “Someone’s gotta pay for it” logic to the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea that killed far more people and was run by Americans? Or, how about Bhopal where 15,000 Indians were affected.
You’re a hypocrit.
By Shafi on Jun 15, 2010, 1:28 pm | Reply
Bhopal was a horrific tragedy and so was the North Sea. We cannot forget either one. Americans or not, they are all man-made disasters that probably could have been averted. However, whoever turns out to be responsible for this tragedy, and others in the past, must somehow pay for it. Investing in technology to avert such tragedy is one way, another is close inspection. Some news had it that BP got immunity at one time from the U.S. so the inspection was more relaxed than normal.