Oil Spill: Big Oil's History Of Bad Behavior (PHOTOS)

With the gulf oil spill raging, all eyes are turned to the horrors of oil spills. Tragically, oil companies have a history of damage way beyond the accidental -- displacing thousands of people from their lands, destroying indigenous environments, and funding brutal dictatorships. As we reflect on our dependence on oil, we want highlight the reality of what oil companies actually do, and the price of our fossil fuel dependence, which is paid for by people around the world.

See what they've been up to yourself and tell us which behavior is most appalling:

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Shell Nigeria

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The Niger Delta is an oil rich area, producing 80% of the oil that comes from Nigeria. It is also the home to many small minority ethnic groups, dependent on fishing and farming, who suffer the irreparable damages of oil drilling on their lands. 40% of Shell's oil spills have occurred in the Niger Delta, and natural gas flaring is common—a wasteful practice used to maximize production of crude oil by burning the accompanying gas. 95% of the gas is flared in Nigeria, and it is estimated that Nigerian oil fields produce more greenhouse emissions than the rest of the world's oil fields combined, as a result.

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The Niger Delta is an oil rich area, producing 80% of the oil that comes from Nigeria. It is also the home to many small minority ethnic groups, dependent on fishing and farming, who suffer the irreparable damages of oil drilling on their lands. 40% of Shell's oil spills have occurred in the Niger Delta, and natural gas flaring is common—a wasteful practice used to maximize production of crude oil by burning the accompanying gas. 95% of the gas is flared in Nigeria, and it is estimated that Nigerian oil fields produce more greenhouse emissions than the rest of the world's oil fields combined, as a result.

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Worst Oil Company Behavior

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Comments

[atexasdem]

03:25 PM on 05/11/2010

Having been in the petroleum industry all my life I'll tell you something that got me about Nigeria. If handled right oil can be a temporary boon to a country. Their going to make a lot of money for a short period of time. It's what you do with that money that counts. Nigeria is basicly a dictatorship. It's run by a small "clique" of people. The oil is in area that is pretty poor. People are evicted or oil stuff is just built all around them. Obviously this pi**es them off. They don't even get any jobs. We actually wanted to hire some locals to cut the grass around our facility and the government wouldn't let us.
When the locals complain the government sends gunboats, shoots up a few things as a "demonstration" of what could happen. All the billions in oil money are going to a select few. Anyone who opposes this is labeled a "terrorist". This is pretty typical of third world countries that suddenly find they have oil. Think about that the next time you fill your tank. This is what it takes for that gallon of gas you just bought.

[Mikyung Lim]

04:04 AM on 05/09/2010

Why does "Super Money" seem to have always been linked to corruption and destruction of human rights and environments? Is anyone with money and power destined to become bad? Although there are some examples of people who gave out money to people and societies after becoming super rich, it's not general rule but rare exceptions?
Super money, corruption, and the disgruntle of disadvantaged seem to have been the main reasons of unstable societies and the rise and fall of nations throughout history.

[lostpl8]

01:35 AM on 05/08/2010

we are all to blame!
everytime we start up our cars
turn on a light switch
everytime we get on a desiel powered bus

unless we as americans change others will always suffer.

[PlayTOE]

11:04 PM on 05/07/2010

Environment,??? Why should the environment matter when some rich guy gets more money by destroying the livelihood of poor people?

This should be criminal, it is a crime aqainst the planet.

[BRUCE THOMAS]

09:15 PM on 05/07/2010

the CEO's of these oil companies should be held accountable and sent to PRISON no fines with slaps on the wrist, HARD TIME IN PRISON!

[research]

06:08 PM on 05/07/2010

Now is the time for Green energy!

We must stop obsessing of the last few drops of oil, and prepare for the future.

stop all subsides for fossil and nukes, and transfer those resources to solar wind and waste bio fuels.

rooftop pv and offshore wind can supply electricity safe, clean, cheaper in the long run 3-6 cent, forever.

End the wars for oil.

[trunk65]

06:01 PM on 05/07/2010

If corporations like BP are the same as people in the view of SCOTUS, then they should be punished, fined, and jailed just as we would any idiotic person who would spray the Gulf with thousands of gallons of oil out of a hose.

[Auburn022]

05:54 PM on 05/07/2010

When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy

[ernestohem]

03:22 PM on 05/07/2010

Big oil has a history of bad behavior because they make such Big Bucks...

http://greenexplorer.ovi.com/getinspired/north-america/usa/spill-baby-spill-why-big-oil-is-such-a-big-risk/

Expect more of the same until we get rid of our dependency

[ItsMrHand]

01:23 PM on 05/07/2010

For several reasons. Because people are fallible, because nothing like this has ever been done before, because the cofferdam may not work and because there are so many parties involved - the platform owner, the platform manager, the company that drills, the company that cements the well, the company that operates the pumps and the eventual owner of the oil. Its easy to castigate in hindsight, why not try doing something constructive rather than stating/questioning the obvious? Stuff happens!! Lets deal it and assign resources to develop mitigation procedures.

[rich misty]

01:35 PM on 05/07/2010

"Stuff happens!!" is not an excuse for the destruction of the Gulf ecology and loss of the $1.8 billion dollar fishing industry. Incidents of this type are not preventable, drilling is not safe.

Alternate energy needs to be fast tracked in America, there is no other logical course of action.

[humandecency]

03:55 PM on 05/07/2010

Exactly how did it happen that Dick Cheney's level of greed rivals that level of catastrophy that will be caused by this when he pressured to keep acoustical regulators from being required on rigs, like they are in Norway and Brazil -- technology that would have prevented this? Exactly how does stuff happen so that the Obama administration's paid environmental people gave this project a waiver from an environmental review? I would like to know, because if there aren't answers and solutions to these questions and problems there are no realistic answers and solutions to "develop mitigation procedures."

[Mickey B]

12:39 PM on 05/07/2010

Another legacy of eight years of the OIL BOYS running the company--that is country. Cheney better hurry and sell his Halliburton stock.

[aspiecelia]

12:33 PM on 05/07/2010

The military has been involved in a lot of protection of the oil companies. Why do you think we are putting 7 military bases in Colombia? They say it is all about the drug war. Of course part of it is to harrass Hugo Chavez.

[rich misty]

01:13 PM on 05/07/2010

There are very strong elements of corporate fascism in America today. The military is not used to protect the citizen or the country, but is exploited to advance corporate interests.

[Earl E]

12:31 PM on 05/07/2010

If they drop that tower in the wrong way they could actually start a 2 million gallons a day gusher.

I'd be shutting down all oil operations as a precautionary measure right now before they attempt the tower placement.

[giraf]

12:15 PM on 05/07/2010

we the consumers are not separate from this, our needs are being fulfilled, so to help reduce dependancy and demand consume less, consume responsibly, recycle, bicycle, etc

http://itsamanmadeworld.wordpress.com

[Bushdepression]

12:08 PM on 05/07/2010

Let us remember British Petroleum promted the U.S. coup against Mossadegh who had nationalized Iran's oil.

What did we get out of that?

The Shah or Iran that sucked over a billion dollars out of the U.S. taxpayers, led to violent hatred of the U.S. as a result, the U.S. embassy being taken hostage, the installing of the Ayatollahs, the "balancing" arming of Israel courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers, the ongoing hatred of the U.S. throughout the Middle East leading up to the last ten years and all this so that wealthy Britons could get inexpensive Iranian oil for a few decades....

"Beyond Politics"

[Bushdepression]

12:18 PM on 05/07/2010

As a followup:

If Iran decides to go for nuclear weapons, the US may not be able to permanently stop this from happening unless it is willing to occupy the country.
This is the candid conclusion of one US general testifying in front of the Senate but one that seems to have gone mostly unnoticed amid a flurry of statements on Iran over the past few days in Washington.
Gen James Cartwright, one of America's top uniformed officers, slowly edged towards that conclusion during a Senate testimony last week, underscoring the difficult choices facing the Obama administration as it weighs what do about Iran.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8634204.stm

If there were a B.P. station nearby, I would boycott it and bless it with a brick through the window.

[rich misty]

01:15 PM on 05/07/2010

Faved both posts, long time fan now ;-)

[LindaInAus]

01:53 AM on 05/08/2010

both have been faved.