A Few Little Mistakes

The arrogant Tony Haywood, the CEO of British Petroleum, announced to the world after a major spill that was dumping approximately 100,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico that the environmental impact would be very small and that the spill was tiny compared to the size of the ocean. And, oh yes, he would like to see this over with because “I would like my life back. The lives of thousands along the coast had already lost their livelihood and sure as hell would like their lives back.

Since the spill, mental health problems, namely, depression, anxiety and anger have soared as well as spousal abuse and alcoholism among fisherman on the coast. Lately there has been an increase in suicidal thoughts and some actual suicides, very similar to the crisis situation caused by the Exxon Valdez tragedy. Mental health clinics have been established along the coast for counselors and therapists to assist those workers who are in crisis.

The company reports in 2010 1st quarter profits of 61 million dollars daily and it has spent 33.8 billion dollars to explore for new oil and gas deposits during the past 3 years. However, spending on research for safety, accident prevention and spill response has been paltry. To top it off, BP has the worst safety record of all the oil companies. They just don't give a damn about the public or the workers. According to Hayward , “Our primary purpose in life is to create value for our stockholders.” And by the way , keep the dividends coming.

Giving the devil his due, Tony Hayward admits that he might lose his job because “we made a few little mistakes early on.”  One mistake that should be mentioned was an automatic shut off valve that was not installed. All the other companies claim that they never fail to make that installation. BP is known for cutting corners to benefit the bottom line and, oh yes, to keep the shareholders happy.

The problem is there is no easy extraction of oil anymore. That is why the oil companies are drilling in deep water. And it is not safe. Just recently in Australia there was an oil rig explosion that spewed millions of gallons for ten weeks. A relatively short time span because they were drilling only at a 250 foot depth. BP was drilling at 5000 feet. The oil companies, of course, won't admit it but they just don't know how to stop a blowout in deep water or how to clean up a massive spill. There are federal regulations but BP violates the regs and pays the fines. The fines are in the millions but it is “chump change” to a company that reports a daily profit of 61 million dollars

As a former unenlightened Republican VP once said, “We're all capable of mistakes but I do not care to enlighten you on the mistakes we may or may not have made.”


References:

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