BP's Government-Approved, Fake Spill Response Plan
Share this
Last year the federal government approved a 582-page, regional spill plan for the Gulf of Mexico. Sounds comprehensive, right? It turns out the plan was filled with glaring errors, blatant omissions and wildly false assumptions -- and won approval from the government anyway. BP's response plan included references to wildlife like walruses, sea lions and seals, none of which live in the Gulf, indicating parts of the plan may have been lifted from a site plan for Alaska. It contains spill scenarios in which beaches remain prisitine, fish, marine mammals and birds are spared and water quality is just a passing concern -- and those are projections for a spill ten times worse than calculations for the the current disaster. The plan lists Professor Peter Lutz as a national wildlife expert to contact in the event of a spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but he died in 2005. It contains the names and telephone number of marine life specialists at Texas A&M University, but the names and numbers are wrong. It lists the numbers for offices of the marine mammal stranding network in Louisiana and Florida, but they are no longer in service. The plan underestimates the dangers posed by an uncontrolled underwater blowout, and overstates BP's ability to deal with one. Two senators -- Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat and Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat -- are seeking a criminal investigation into the company's claims of preparedness to deal with such a catastrophe.
- 12108 reads
Printer-friendly version- Add new comment
- permalink
Today's popular content
- Wisconsin’s System Increasingly Rigged Against the Unemployed (55)
- The Health Care Industry vs. Health Reform (30)
- Wisconsin Bill Would Treat Organic Milk, Sharp Cheddar, Brown Eggs as "Junk Food" (24)
- About ALEC Exposed (20)
- More Corporations Drop Off ALEC's Conference Brochure (19)
- Harold Camping's Global Apocalypse PR Campaign (18)
- PBS Killed Wisconsin Uprising Documentary "Citizen Koch" To Appease Koch Brothers (14)
- Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills (14)
- How Far Have We Really Come from the "One-Drop Rule"? (12)
- Why Do We Need Health Care Reform? Don't Ask George Will (12)
Readers' Comments
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: pbarnrob
-
Submitted by: EarlBowden
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: Anonymous
-
Submitted by: AndrewG
Comments
Approved?
How could something with so many errors be approved? Would the cleanup have gone better if the plan to save the walruses was rejected?
Heartbreak
I get so upset as each day passes and oil continues to gush into the ocean and threaten ecosystems and wildlife. Seems that BP is all about greed. I hope that they have to pay out much more than $20 billion to rectify this situation ( if that is what it takes) for everyone and everything that has been harmed by this disaster.
As far as future drilling goes I hope the authorities get seriously focused on making sure that all oil companies develop a practical and effective plan of dealing with this exact type of tragedy in a faster more efficient way in order to protect the wildlife and ecosystems from harm in the future. It would be a huge shame if we do not learn lessons from this.
Oil spill
It is sad that nature should suffer for humankind to progress. In the end, I think, humankind will destroy it selves and the planet.
$20 billion is too much money for BP to pay
It will cost BP several bad quarters and the stocks will tank because dividends are cut severely. Nobody on the wall street will like BP paying that much money.
Obama's Katrina
Obama seems great at creating a crisis when he needs one to pay off his lobbyists like with the stimulus package and healthcare plan, but when it comes to dealing with a real crisis, seems like he has no real ideas. Oh well. Hope no one's planning on going swimming this summer.
This Spill is Demonstrating Total Ineptitude
Questionable practices by BP leading up to the spill, corruption in the DOE oversight of the rig itself, a "safety award" in 2009. After the explosion the governmental response has been underwhelming to say the least. 3 days after the start, the dutch offered booms and assistance which was declined. Lots of finger pointing but very little action. On day 60 we get a rosy, glowing, clueless speech appointing a lawyer to oversee and a new slush fund for the Govt to administer. Meanwhile 50 million gallons a day spew. Where is the leadership?
Don't Trust Any Of Them
It's the same old story - you can't trust them. They will cut whatever corners it takes to maximize profit, end of story. Applaud exceptions as they arise.
Apparently they will be filing for bankruptcy in which case the big cheeses will move on, not forgetting their multi-million dollar bonuses.
Never mind, it's the way the world is. We can only hope that it doesn't happen on our own doorstep.
Enjoy life and cross your fingers!
Appropriate action must be done right away!
Immediate and appropriate action must be done in order to save the precious lives of sea creatures and the entire ecosystem. We can't afford to lose another portion of our underwater resources. I just do hope that the people responsible for this will be punished to serve as an example to others.
What?
It is difficult to believe that a contingency on such a scale could not "regulated" by higher authorities and to be allowed process. There's more oversight given for obtaining a Government arts grant!
BP is ridiculous
This is another fine example of the phenomenon of greed and lack of responsibility produced by large organisations.
Environmental impact assessment is required by law and as a large organisation who have been much revived in recent times should have taken care with what they are responsible for.