Oil Spill Taking Toll On BP's, Government's Credibility

McClatchy:

WASHINGTON — A litany of half-truths, withholding crucial video, blocking media access to the site and a failure to share timely and complete information about efforts to contain the largest oil spill in U.S. history have created the widespread impression that BP is withholding information about the April 20 oilrig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, if not misleading the public and the government.

The government has been little better, for weeks blindly accepting BP's estimates of the size of the spill, all but powerless to force the company to curb its use of toxic chemical dispersants and ignoring warnings from its own officials about possible worker safety violations.

Most damning, say members of Congress, was BP's failure to release video that would help measure how much oil is being released from the broken well — a number that will be key evidence when federal investigators and perhaps juries consider what damages BP should pay.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[aaryn volk]

12:03 PM on 06/14/2010

Oil Dispersant Material Safety Data Sheet ("MSDS")

Under U.S. Law/Regulations all companies are to have on site MSDSs available for all employees and visitors to view. Included in the MSDS is a product's toxicity. Why hasn't BP and/or the Government posted the MSDSs for the oil dispersants being used?

[aaryn volk]

11:59 AM on 06/14/2010

S.a. Barenberg June 14 at 10:49am
1. Umbrella Stent Shut Off
BP/Trans Oceans should consider employing umbrella stent technology similar to that used in cardiovascular cases to shut off the release. The mesh of the stents would allow for the gases (methane, soxs',noxs' and vocs) to escape while trapping the oil as a result of the oils viscosity and the diffusion partition coefficients. The stents once in place could then be back filled with the USDA's supersluper ag polymers and surfactant mud/cement.

2. Temporary Containment:
If BP were to construct a flexible parabolic stainless steel mesh with flexible exit ports they would be able to overlay the oil source. The pressure from the oil would inflate the mesh and then the oil would exit the ports with the sea water exiting through the mesh; i.e. f(viscosity & partition coefficients). The flexibility of the mesh means that BP would not have to be exact on aligning the dome. Think of an inverted strainer or mesh circus tent.

[MJVs Common Sense]

01:19 PM on 06/01/2010

Ok, The president could have come out stronger, but seriously. How many of the people whiney about his lax response, actually know what his administration is doing? my guess would be zero. They are all just whiney at the perception being pushed by the media, which is that Obama isn't doing enough. He isn't doing enough, but, honestly, what more do you want?

He could take over, but the government isn't any better prepared to deal with this situation than BP (and that isn't his fault either, since there have been plenty of presidents before him who could have created contingency plans, like Bush who is the one who deregulated half the economy).

Do they want him to spend every hour walking the coastline, crying like a 5 year old who just stubbed their toe? I'm pretty sure we have other national issues that needs attention (like two wars and a crappy economy, just to name a few).

There is a difference between demanding more from the president and throwing a temper tantrum and demonizing him (something that isn't so surprising from B. Jindal, who has a LOT to gain politically from that). Here's a thought: project your anger on people who are actually responsible for this mess, and the people who should actually be cleaning it up!

[kevman08]

09:29 AM on 06/01/2010

Thank you Captain Obvious!!

[holyghostie]

08:56 AM on 06/01/2010

What happened to the JUNK SHOT? Why can't they drop a hose down from a supertanker and suck that oil in as it comes out of the pipe? They have a hose down there pumping out DISPERSANT.

The reason BP is using dispersant is to keep the plume below the surface and off the TV.
Some day Americans will realize this is WORSE THAN KATRINA AND 9/11 combined.

[grumbles]

03:32 PM on 05/31/2010

the govnmt did not spill the oil........this kind of headline is purposely misleading and misinforms.......

[jsgaetano]

05:50 PM on 05/31/2010

This was actually Obama's fault for allowing himself to be tied to BP's failure.

Had he come out strong against BP and other corporate scofflaws, he'd be looking like a hero right now. But far be it from Obama to actually champion a cause which doesn't benefit conservatives.

[madelinesyellowhat]

02:49 PM on 05/31/2010

This would be a good time for a carbon tax, levied on extracted carbon at the well or mine, and accompanied by a rebate to consumers. Two months ago it would have been politically impossible, but now it would be seen as punitive to the unpopular oil companies and evidence of Obama taking a leadership position on recouping environmental costs while putting oil and renewables on a level playing field.

[jsgaetano]

05:52 PM on 05/31/2010

Exactly. Cap and Trade is just another scam created by conservatives.

If we want to actually FIX anything, rather than PRETEND to fix things, we need to make taxes on the pollution industry which are so high as to be prohibitive. That's the only way anything will ever change... but as everyone is coming to realize, Obama is more concerned with "bipartisan concensus" than he is with change.

[Countess]

08:13 AM on 05/31/2010

We know BP is a corporate giant who will do anything to increase its profits and it is the job of government to regulate this industry to protect the public interest. The government failed to protect the public interest. If we had an honest system of regulation in place BP would have been forced by law to build a relief well at the same time as they built the main well that has exploded and the gushing would have been stopped long before now. Wholesale corruption of our corporate controlled government is the reason this horror has continued for so long.

[Puller58]

06:21 AM on 05/31/2010

That a member of Congress had to point the deceptions out puts the administration in an awkward position. No Right wing GOPer, a Democrat, makes it tougher since Obama's flacks can't attack him without looking foolish. 2012 will hopefully provide a primary challenger if Obama lacks the integrity to volunteer not to run again for the White House.

[jsgaetano]

05:52 PM on 05/31/2010

Grayson 2012!

[had-enough]

11:41 PM on 05/30/2010

BP never had any credibility! They are CORRUPT and anti-Ameroican!!!!! BOYVCOTT BRITAIN AND BP....British Pigs!

[dwolfram]

11:17 PM on 05/30/2010

Oil spill fix: Attach a manifold with multiple hoses attached which lead to tankers. Clamp to gushing pipe. Valves in man. can close, cap leak.

[le marc]

09:13 PM on 05/30/2010

Small government, low taxes, freemarket economy, we don't need no gov'ment 'round here,don;t tread on me! OOPS, OIL SPILL! Why ain't the GOV'MENT gett'n ,'er stopped, we need more clean-up down here,HELP ME, damn the cost, call in the national guard; no work-where's my welfare and food stamps! What's the matter righties, your slogans ring hallow now.

[Virgil Kane]

07:52 PM on 05/30/2010

This is NOT Obama's fault. The Bu$h administration created this mess by deregulating the industry and allowing offshore drilling in the first place!!

[had-enough]

11:46 PM on 05/30/2010

Got THAT ONE SPOT ON!

[lboucher]

07:27 PM on 05/30/2010

Matt Simmons said the max pressure a Bow out preventer BOP can take is 15,000 psi
I hope I got that right. I was just listening to him on Puplava’s interview of Saturday. He said that the psi could have been 40,000 and that is beyond our current technology. So digging these relief wells could be another more catastrophic move.
http://www.financialsensenewshour.com/broadcast/fsn2010-0529-2.asx

[QuidamHP]

12:27 AM on 05/31/2010

He has misunderstood. He may have heard the max operating pressure - the pressure required to operate the shear rams and valves, not the pressure in the bore. BOPs can withstand bore pressures of over 100K psi

[clover2]

07:25 PM on 05/30/2010

Big corporations are the reason why government has no credibility. The big insurance companies prevented meaningful health reform and there is reason to believe BP was never serious about the environmental damage they were causing in the first place.

I've now heard about this program from two independent sources: Australian television ran a program featuring a panel of deep sea oil engineers from Norway, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Iran and another country. They ALL agreed that BP could have stopped the eruption of oil a long time ago were it not for their desire to retain as much functional integrity to the site so as to enable them to come back later and recapture the remaining oil. All of the panel members also had a solution--it involves further damaging the pipe and using a decommissioned submarine.

All of the panel members agreed that if the disaster had happened off their waters, their governments would have pushed BP out of the way within the first week and forced it to do their government's bidding. We have too many tea party types and "I'm allergic to big government and regulations" politicians---all of the GOP and far too many Dems--for this to have happened in our country. We are paying price for our collective stupidity.

[bobwalters]

09:09 PM on 05/30/2010

Indeed. And we likely will continue to pay that price for many years...especially those on the Gulf whose livelihoods are being so cavalierly destroyed, even as we speak.