Adam Dillon, BP Contractor Who Once Blocked A Local Reporter, Became A Whistleblower (VIDEO)

Down in the Gulf of Mexico, BP is said to be "pleased" with the effort thus far to recap the oil leak, an effort that they took up in earnest over the weekend. But at least one former BP contractor, Adam Dillon, is less than pleased with his BP paymasters and has come forward to talk about his experiences to WDSU in New Orleans. Over at ThinkProgress, Brad Johnson has more:

On Friday, contractor-turned-whistleblower Adam Dillon told New Orleans television station WDSU he was fired "after taking photos that he believes were related to the use of dispersants and to the cleanup of the oil." As a BP liaison, he had rebuffed reporters' attempts to observe cleanup operations in Grand Isle, LA, in June, before being promoted to the BP Command Center near Houma, LA. At the command center BP manages the private contractors running practically every aspect of the spill response. Dillon, a former U.S. Army Special Operations soldier, "has lost faith in the company in charge."

While we haven't heard of Dillon by name before, we've met him. He was one of the contractors that headed off WDSU's Scott Walker in his attempt to interview BP clean-up crews on Grand Isle. Here's video of that incident:

And here's Walker's interview with Dillon, now:

WALKER: Why did you want to talk to me tonight?

DILLON: Because of what I told you on Grand Isle that day. When you met me and you were straight with me and I saw the way that you were being treated, I told you I wish I could tell you more. And after the way BP treated me, I'm telling you now that you deserve an answer and that's why you're getting an answer.

Dillon says he was fired by BP after he took photos of chemical dispersants being used to break up the spill and brought them, along with his concerns, to the attention of his superiors. He was subsequently sacked but not before being "confined and interrogated." Dillon has praise for his fellow crew workers and contractors, but he describes BP as being full of "cutthroat individuals."

WDSU will air the rest of its interview with Dillon tonight at ten o'clock. In the meantime, Johnson's got additional details, including links to similar stories, describing attempts to overcome the media blackout imposed by BP. By all means, check it out.

RELATED:
Former Contractor: 'Cutthroat' BP 'Not Worried About Cleaning Up That Spill' [Think Progress]

PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
Oil Spill Media Access: BP Officials Continue To Block Reporters (VIDEO)

Comments

[Sister Bluebird]

11:50 PM on 07/14/2010

Well Adam Dillon reported being detained in the original story. So is he being detained again? We know that Homeland Security is involved as per the Pro-Publica story wherein their reporter was detained and had his stuff rifled through and shared with BP. If Homeland Security is involved and the Patriot Act is invoked, then he could be detained indefinitely without a warrant or probable cause, and they would not have to tell anyone. Dillon would just disappear.
Why isn't anyone else concerned about this? WTF is wrong with Americans? Did I wake up on the wrong planet?

[okchamali]

07:53 PM on 07/14/2010

Let's share this rage over the BP oil spill with Nigerians who have put up with even worse US corporate behavior. One Shell oil spill, which is still in progress as I understand it, is 40 years old. I attach a recent article from The Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell

[Panoptimist]

04:57 PM on 07/14/2010

∫BP? Competent crew? Guess again.

http://bit.ly/bBl5XY

[Panoptimist]

04:51 PM on 07/14/2010

Sister, let's hope he doesn't get snuffed. Increase this guy's publicity. Of course there were threats issued - that's exactly why the story didn't run. The powers that be have been murdering whistleblowers who don't get loud enough since the beginning.

[Sister Bluebird]

11:32 AM on 07/14/2010

WSDU Channel 6 New Orleans never ran the interview and there has been no explanation as to why. So the initial story promising an interview with Adam Dillon ran, but not the whole interview itself promised on the 11 PM news on Monday. So what happened? Did Mr Dillon cancel? Is he okay? Did BP pay him off? Has he been threatened? We don't know. I wonder if the HuffPo can investigate this sudden turn of events.

[shryock]

06:01 AM on 07/14/2010

and no doubt dillon knew very well how b.p. was treating other contractors and he was willing to go along with it until they treated him the same way. shame on him for going along in the first place, even if he has now decided to man up and tell the truth.

[Sister Bluebird]

11:34 AM on 07/14/2010

This was one thing that turned me off too, when I watched the story on the LA news channel. It seemed to appear that he was okay doing this job and getting paid, and suddenly when BP wasn't paying him anymore, then he decided to speak up. It might not be the way it looked. For all we know he was gathering information the whole time, I don't know. Until we hear the rest of the story, all we have are appearances and speculation. That does not thrill me.

[Panoptimist]

04:53 PM on 07/14/2010

So take this scenario and apply it to ever private and public agency/conglomerate you can imagine. This is happening at all levels (mostly the highest) in all modes. Universities, corporations, public officials...every day. You see, ultimately the problem is not BP. It's people.

[VioletsAreBlue12]

12:59 PM on 07/13/2010

Sign the petition!
http://www.politicalwild.com/2010/07/84-days-of-disgrace-in-gulf-and-2020.html

[ray4ausa]

01:38 AM on 07/13/2010

Any suggestion to "blow it up to seal the well" must be from someone that doesn't know a single thing about PRESSURE. This well has thousands of pounds of pressure sending thousands of barrels of oil out of a 21" pipe coming from thousands of feet in the ground. The only way to stop the flow is with an intersecting well with enough heavy mud head to suffocate flow. The "new cap" may work "IF THE WEIGHT IS ENOUGH, AND NOT TO MUCH TO CAUSE A FRACTURING OF THE PIPE UNDER THE CAP. This cap idea could have been done the first week after the spill started. The engineering expert's here in Louisiana are the best in the world. If those British bastards would have listened to "our" workers we would not be discussing this today. After 23 years in oil field production I know what happened, it has nothing to do with safety, THE REASON IS OBSTINATE REFUSAL TO FOLLOW RULES AND REGULATIONS .

[Traflo]

11:33 AM on 07/13/2010

Oh my, down to name calling are we?
Only "OUR" workers know what they are doing?
O.k. then, answer these questions!
Who's workers drilled that well?
Who tested that well and what were the results?
Who manufactured that blow out preventer and installed it?
Who manufactured the rig and installed it?
Who's "OUR" workers did all this and who only rented it?
Who's "OUR" workers did all the maintenace and operated the rig?
Don't get me started, cool heads work better than name calling.
And for (I won't use a tag here) guys like you I can only say,
"It's hard to walk through life with one foot in your mouth."

[windup]

07:08 PM on 07/13/2010

That would be "whose" not "who's"

[Sister Bluebird]

11:42 AM on 07/14/2010

It is my limited understanding, due to a paper by a Dr Reed in 2002, that there is an active fault in the Gulf in that area that is connected to the New Madrid. Dr Reed an retired geologist who worked for Texaco, indicated that it was this previously unknown fault that triggered the New Madrid and was responsible for the Mississippi running backwards. http://www.aapg.org/explorer/2002/11nov/rift_zone.cfm
It might be irrelevant. But as a lay person, the thought of a nuke in an area like that scares me for entirely different reasons. It bothers me knowing that the information is out there, but that no on has addressed it at all. And considering the level of incompetence that lead to this blow out, the gusher and all the mess thus far, it wouldn't surprise me if, even if this is a credible threat, that the flail that is BP "intelligence" is entirely unaware of it.

[BrianJDonovan]

08:40 PM on 07/12/2010

Controlling and restricting media access to the areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher is merely one tactic in BP's strategy to limit its liability.

For a better understanding, visit:

http://renergie.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/bps-strategy-to-limit-liability-in-regard-to-its-gulf-oil-gusher/

[OzarkAggie]

08:04 PM on 07/12/2010

Aren't you tired of people speaking truth to power described as disgruntled employees, opportunists looking to cash in or gain their 15 minutes of fame?

If they were happy about what was going on in the workplace then they'd be cashing their checks and smiling.

Well Dillon claims that he found something that disturbed him and when he brought to the attention of his employer they fired him. Do you really think that's unusual? Most firms are top down in their management style and generally the boss doesn't want to hear complaints. None of them want a liability exposed. And from the beginning BP has tried to minimize the outflow of this gusher, prohibit scientists and news organizations from investigating, and thereby cover up the facts.

We should encourage people to come forward but we don't, and the usual response is to denigrate and vilify them. Instead we should be giving them a hero's welcome.

[tresluv]

12:05 AM on 07/13/2010

Fanned. This guy is a hero,and I don't use that word lightly. A single individual who was on the wrong side of an issue, realizing his error and moving to correct it and even more important, do something to make up for it. At the cost of his job.

I hope to see some coverage of this on TV news, it's the kind of thing Rachel Maddow often picks up on. I realize she's just returned from Afghanistan, but ..... hey Rachel, are you listening ??
:_)

[Unicorn777]

07:52 PM on 07/12/2010

WE are letting this happen !! We blog about WHy BP this and Why Obama that.... Obviously it still isn't stopped or cleaned up. SO... let's get some highly skilled ballistics team together along with some retired oil drilling crews blast the well shut. Get Kevin Costner's 99% effective oil recovery device ....crank out as many of those as possible. Take all the ideas for oil recovery I saw on every talk show in creation and implement them. And don't let ANYONE tell you that you can't do that !! What are they going to do?? Tell them Obama said, "YES WE CAN!" ....Do NOT let fear stand in the way of doing what is right. Build a team, get the materials...Where do we get the money?? SUE THE GOVERNMENT !!!

[tresluv]

12:07 AM on 07/13/2010

I'm sure you mean well, but I have to say that your unicorn Avi is apt.

[Titus Pullo]

06:42 PM on 07/12/2010

One of these days, people are going to catch on to just what is going on down in the Gulf

[plaidsportcoat]

06:30 PM on 07/12/2010

Soon we will have to send money to website in order to support a free press on TV or anywhere. So get used to it and do it! Pro Publica is a good place to start. And you local rag...

[raffa657]

06:22 PM on 07/12/2010

In this case, if you believe BP, I will quote Dick Gregory, "What kind of fool is you!".

[fourtruth]

06:12 PM on 07/12/2010

Sorry that is

[e-mail]

[fourtruth]

06:38 PM on 07/12/2010

I am now told she has apparently either quit or been fired, in just one week after her first contact with the advocasy groups.