SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Why is BP taking ALL the blame?

This is a very good article, while showing some frustration from the British perspective, it provides alot of detail and backstory to the companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon. I tend to agree with most of the article, and await to see how the administration takes on the obvious negligence on the part of the MMS in regards to this particular well.

The President has mentioned that a complete overhaul, and splitting the award/inspection arms of the agency, I completely agree with this as well, but wonder if critical information and witnesses will conveniently be lost in the shuffle.

BP holds and should be held to account for their complicity in this disaster, it is equally important that their is a fair and honest investigation to be sure that all who are to blame, are held accountable.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Last night Obama bullied BP into setting up a £13bn fund to compensate U.S. oil spill victims. Yet it's American firms that owned the rig AND the safety equipment that failed.

On Capitol Hill, Washington DC, at 10am local time this morning, the boss of the world's fourth largest company will take his seat before a sub-committee of American congressmen.
The inquisition that follows will be beamed around the globe. And if events of past weeks are a guide, BP chief executive Tony Hayward can expect a cross between the Battle of Bunker Hill and a Salem Witch trial.
Anger is understandable. Officially, today's hearing is slated to investigate 'the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico'.
But one word that is likely to be invoked repeatedly with a pejorative tone, and with a cynicism that is in inverse proportion to its actual relevance, is the adjective 'British'.

Be sure to hit the link to read on, it's well worth the time

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Simple...
The one that makes the most profit has the most blame..

.Anything else is just excuses.

I think BP was set up as the fall guy. It's interesting that Svanberg was struggling with Ericsson before he took over BP. But he also claimed he had 900 meetings with BP investors over the years before taking over BP.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

On that latter group Svanberg tells me he is familiar to British and American investors having had, what he estimates to be, about 900 one-on-one meetings with them over the years.

Anadarko, 25% investor in Deepwater Horizon, has ties to the University of Texas, and the Chairman of the Board also sits on the board of the Federal Reserve (Dallas).

It's Anadarko, that seems slithery to me. And then there's Halliburton, and several others involved in the BOP. All Global companies.

The key word here is Global.

[edit on 17-6-2010 by OurskiesRpoisoned]

reply to post by JacKatMtn


I'd like to understand if there where any conflict of interests that led to this disaster, yes, BP may have been at fault, BUT if you look at disasters like the Piper Alpha Oil rig disaster that cost 167 lives, a major part of the problem was the same government office tasked with both production and safety.

Typical conflict of interst. I hope the truth (whatever it maybe) comes to light as soon as possible.. and hope they can find a way to stop this gusher in the meanwhile.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Ok, now hold the horses here, yes is true that the rig was American made, yes is true that BP is in contract to extract oil no to built rigs (I could be wrong on this one), now is one thing for sure, BP record in Alaska shows that they are been very lax when it comes to the maintenance of their oil pipes, working rigs and dumping violations.

Because BP is a company that while making billions in profits is just like any other corporate profit ridden entity the profit margins are first before the safety of either their workers and enviroment.

Now if that is true taking into consideration their blunders in Alaska, then I still hold BP to blame for the disaster in the gulf.

All this articles coming from the damage control team is nothing but propaganda.

reply to post by marg6043


I'd still like to know what catalgoue of issues lie behind what we are being told/not told right now.. Any conflict of interests that allowed them to continue, with as you pointed out a suspect safety record.

Something is certainly turing BP into a lightning rod for critism at the moment, even by their own admission, which I can help but find the whole thing deeply suspect.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


Is many conspiracies behind the BP oil disaster right now, many points out to a take over by other US base oil companies and what they have to gain from taking over the BP gulf venture.

I am still trying to figure out what can be so valuable with the gulf that could make any other oil interest in the gulf sabotage BP.

But when it comes to BP safety record that is good enough reason for me to know that until the oil disaster in the gulf the government has been very nice to them and their blunders in the past.

Let me say that I am not trying to minimize BP's responsibility in this disaster, they are paying and will continue to pay for their mistake.

At the same time, I am more concerned with how the way was paved for BP to become so lax in their implementation of this well.

Some are crying for regulation, well once again, it isn't the lack of regulation, it is the Fed gov't failing to enforce the regulations in place.

Sound familiar?

We have the SEC.. regulating Wall Street... how's that going?

We have ICE.. regulating immigration... how's that going?

Now We have the MMS... regulating the oil industry.. we know what's going on here..

SEC failures = the main cause of our current economic situation, what was done to the SEC, or those in charge of that regulatory body during the time? What was Congress' solution? new legislation..

ICE failure = current immigration crisis, is there any desire by the gov't to make sure that ICE enforce the laws on the books? NO, What's Congress' solution? new legislation.

MMS failure = Gulf Oil disaster, what is being done to find out their complicity in this mess? Administration announces an overhaul of the agency, and demands what? NEW legislation..


seeing a pattern here?

There are probably more examples of FED agency failures, but I couldn't think of any more at the moment.



The other companies associated with this oil rig need a harder look as well, but my main hope is that the Fed gov't takes a serious, hard look in the mirror, and make a pointed effort to make sure that those within our own regulating agencies pay the price for their lack of action.

November's coming, citizens' are aware, the voters seem to be paying attention this time. I have high hopes that we will see the change that the President promised, though it won't be the change he intended.

Let's not forget that MMS signed off on the permit, signed off on the safety inspections, etc.

Then had parties with all that money they have been stealing from the US taxpayers.

I'm sure there was plenty of politician who should have sounded the trumpet, but looked the other way, stuffing their freezers with cash.

[edit on 17-6-2010 by OurskiesRpoisoned]

Oh yeah... BP looks to be the whipping boy right now, with that $20Bn
escrow account which the Øbama regime will administer (thru FEMA ?)

but in the end-game...BP will be the big dog on the porch when it comes to drilling for gas/oil, the MMS will become a secondary figure as it always has been...
no, BP with its deep pockets is in line to become the NGO
(non government org) that regulates the whole industry operating in USA fields & leases... and watch them rake in much more than that $20Bn
seed money over the years as the newest layer in the fascist-corporate
structure of Øbama's regime

reply to post by JacKatMtn


My dear it all comeback to the old say money talks and BS walks, see is so much money running under the table to pay for "favors" in other words if people doesn't get by now I guess they never will, corruption runs rampant in our system of government and all the agencies attach to it.

Plain and simple.

The safety records of oil giant BP and the government agency charged with overseeing offshore drilling drew sharp criticism at a Wednesday morning House hearing on the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

"Many of the elements of this tragedy are familiar to the committee," said Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. With BP America President Lamar McKay sitting in front of the panel, Oberstar assailed BP's "sorry record" on safety, adding that the well blowout 48 miles off the Louisiana coast was the latest in a spate of BP safety lapses.

Intersting right?

Well is gets better,

Those include a deadly refinery blast in Texas and "the worst spill in the history of oil development on Alaska's north slope," incidents that have "cast doubt on whether the company has the commitment to the practice and the culture of safety necessary to protect the public,"

latimesblogs.latimes.com...

1965: Sea Gem offshore oil rig disaster

1993–1995: Hazardous substance dumping

2005: Texas City Refinery explosion

2006–2007: Prudhoe Bay

2006-2008: Texas City refinery fatalities

2007: Propane price manipulation

2008: Oil price manipulation

2009: North Sea helicopter accident

2010: Deepwater Horizon oil spill

en.wikipedia.org...





[edit on 17-6-2010 by marg6043]

There are certainly many players involved in this mess.

MMS was focused on Obama's Green Movement and not on oil rig oversight. They were too busy campaigning for Windmills.

This rig operated under the flag and technical guidelines of the Marshall Islands not the US.

They were forced to drill out in the deep water because activists have blocked drilling closer inland and in other areas like Anwar. Plus, This rig was drilling deeper than ever in uncharted territory.

Obama failed miserably in managing this crisis from day one. A clear example of his lack of leadership ability. Two months later and now we have a new Czar who will come up with a plan.

Obama has not waived the Jones Act yet and has refused the help and expertise from 13 nations. Bush waived it 2 days after Katrina hit land.

Obama has not used consultants or advice from any other major Oil company in this mess. They have experts in this realm. Obama would rather use James Cameron than experienced engineers and scientists from Exxon/Mobil.

2 months and now local governors and authorities are taking, by force, this situation into their own hands. Meanwhile, Obama is lost in a sea of self imposed red tape in the Obama Utopia.

Are there others to blame besides BP?? Your damn right there are. BP is just a face on this disaster. It is easy to blame the big corporate juggernaut instead of looking deeper for the other players in this GAME.

I won't discuss the DC and Obama insiders who are poised to make billions of dollars on this crisis.

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by thoughtsfull

 

Is many conspiracies behind the BP oil disaster right now, many points out to a take over by other US base oil companies and what they have to gain from taking over the BP gulf venture.

I am still trying to figure out what can be so valuable with the gulf that could make any other oil interest in the gulf sabotage BP.

But when it comes to BP safety record that is good enough reason for me to know that until the oil disaster in the gulf the government has been very nice to them and their blunders in the past.

I have to admit that I wasn't thinking along the lines of industrial sabotage, or evacuation plans.. more along the lines of what issues behind the scenes that are being papered over with BP and BO acting as the lightning rods.

There actions/lack of action almost begs you to hate them, their responses beg you to hate them... hence I find that suspcious, with no firm reason bar that gut feeling.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Let me say that I am not trying to minimize BP's responsibility in this disaster, they are paying and will continue to pay for their mistake.

At the same time, I am more concerned with how the way was paved for BP to become so lax in their implementation of this well.

Some are crying for regulation, well once again, it isn't the lack of regulation, it is the Fed gov't failing to enforce the regulations in place.

Sound familiar?

Yes it does sound familiar. What many have noticed looking into this and other industries under "regulation" is that the Fed makes big money with fines for this and that every year. Its a tax of sorts. Dont get me wrong the fed has done its part over the years in oh say... making the coal industry a safer place to work and live around, more so than it was 70 years ago, but they also make millions a year dinging for this and that whiel it is apparent that they hope the problem is never fully resolved so they can keep the gravy train running. And the fines themselves are just factored into cost by the coal companies and are part of the cost of doing bussiness and never really high enough to affect any majior change on the little fining point.

Originally posted by St Udio


Oh yeah... BP looks to be the whipping boy right now, with that $20Bn
escrow account which the Øbama regime will administer (thru FEMA ?)

... and watch them rake in much more than that $20Bn
seed money over the years as the newest layer in the fascist-corporate
structure of Øbama's regime

Man I am starting to flip a bit on this issue. Could all this talk about Obama fascist corporate stuff just be a lot of cover for the big boys? What? Was every little shrimp boat guy going to have to take BP to court or settel for some scratch after a 15 year class action battle? We all know what a bunch of BS this would trun out to be. So the fed steps in and says you are not going to tie this up in court with thousands of little battles to get compensation.

Look what the big insurance compaines did to so many after Katrina....telling thousands of homeowners that thier "hurricane policies" didnt cover "flooding".

Here is the thing.....we dont have to bend over with a gag in our mouth in the name of "capitalizim" to be certain we are not going "fascist" or "socialist". There are just a lot of "screwers" out there that if you look at them sideways they call you a dammed socialsit.

You spill oil all over the place then you are just going to have to pay for it...and dont even ask the taxpayers to pay for it like they did with this latest big rip off.

Well to be fair to BP I am going to point out to some information on how no only BP but many other Oil companies in the US has gotten away with so much from the corruption that runs in Washignton

Deregulation is the real (underlying) reason / cause behind the US oil spill by British Petroleum (BP).

Starting with the Bush administration and Cheney the chain of events goes far and beyond.

Deregulation coupled with lax government oversight (lackies appointed by Dick Cheney at the helm) lead to the omission of key safety features and protocols, a free pass for drilling licenses, emphasis on profit over safety, and absolutely NO PLAN for containment of blowouts.

George W Bush and Dick Cheney helped block a 2002/03 Bill that would have required the use of acoustic switches to activate the blowout preventer (BOP). When the rig blew up, they had to MANUALLY activate the switch by sending robotic submersibles

We all know that Bush was an oil men and Cheney was Mr. Halliburton.

theruthlesstruth.com...

Originally posted by jibeho
Obama failed miserably in managing this crisis from day one. A clear example of his lack of leadership ability. Two months later and now we have a new Czar who will come up with a plan.

He may have played this well really. Some were trying to get him to move early to support their claimes that he was all to eager. So he plays it cool....like ok lets see what the big responsable, socialy and enviromentally, oil company will do here....the fed will just get out of the way and watch big oil take care of its own problem. More like let them make fools of themselves and show up their inability to handle their own dragon.

So who really has won here? BP looks like a dam mess. Obama looks like daddy snack down now with this big money transfer.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has noticed the complete media blackout
regarding Halliburton's involvement in this mess.

We also know all about market shares and how the high rollers love to gamble
on short sales.

I think the key word, the key talking point in all of this should be

Industrial Criminal Negligence.

Halliburton's crew has done more than Bin Laden could ever have dreamed of.

Fleeced an entire nation in a war for profit and THEN destroyed the economy and ecology
of the entire gulf coast region.

The clean up contracts will bankrupt the super fund and a whole lot of clean up contractors
will make a fortune.





[edit on 17-6-2010 by FallenFromTheTree]

reply to post by marg6043


Regulation or no the oil firms should be on thier own accord taking measures to be more responsable for the dangers of thier trade.

What are they trying to do now but hide behind lack of governement regulation? Do they want more government oversight or not....make up the mind. But for #s sake dont start crying "socializm" now! Are we to belive that all they will do is what the fed makes them do and that they are no better than teenagers that wont clean thier room?