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  1. Havakasha is offline
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    06-07-2010, 04:37 PM #1

    Who is to Blame for the Oil Spill.

    We all know there's a lot of blame to go around for the ongoing disaster in the gulf. In the weeks since the Horizon rig first came unglued, all the principals in this mess have taken turns pointing fingers at one another. Now, it's our turn. We applied Grist's scientific, who's-fault-is-it-really, assessment method. The results are now in. And the proud winners are . . .

    BP, 37 percent
    Topped the chain of command on the Deepwater Horizon rig. Took risks to lower costs. Cut corners on testing cement. Failed to implement safety measures like an acoustic switch. Misled about its ability to prevent spills in deep water. Overruled crew objections on day of explosion. Grossly underestimated the rate of the spill.

    Minerals Management Service, 11 percent
    Long history of cozy relationship with oil and gas industry, including a busy revolving door. A "culture of ethical failure," [PDF] according to the Interior Department's inspector general, including scandals involving sex, drugs, and gifts from regulated corporations. Allowed oil and gas companies to set safety standards and procedures. Cut back number of safety inspections. Regularly granted oil companies exemptions from environmental studies. Top management overruled objections from staff biologists and engineers about safety and environmental impact. Let oil companies evaluate own performance, and even turn in reports written in pencil that MMS staffers would then trace over in pen. Failure to collect billions in royalties from oil companies -- "a jaw-dropping example of bureaucratic bungling," the inspector general says. Read more about MMS corruption and incompetence.

    Barack Obama, 9 percent
    Failed to make sweeping changes across the Interior Department and at the Minerals Management Service specifically, though it was clear from that start of his tenure that the agencies badly needed reform. (He's finally acting now.) Too deferential to BP on estimates of the disaster's scale, on cleanup, and on use of dispersants. Too slow in projecting a "take charge" image and getting cleanup moving. Too slow in using the disaster to call for real reform of our energy system (though he is now finally doing so).

    George Bush & Dick Cheney, 9 percent
    Pushed more, more, more drilling -- offshore, onshore, everywhere. Staffed MMS with industry-friendly cronies and allowed it to become a "candy store" for oil and gas companies. Failed to reform MMS even when corruption scandals erupted. Hacked away at regulatory structure across the board, clearing the way for industry to do what it pleases.

    Congress, 5 percent
    Weak oversight of regulatory agencies like MMS. Failure to require cutting-edge safety measures, such as acoustic switches. Ongoing support, including tax breaks and incentives, for offshore drilling. Insufficient support for alternative sources of energy. Failure to pass effective and meaningful legislation to reform energy system.

    Transocean, 2 percent
    In charge of operation of rig, meaning that failure of any equipment, including blowout prevents, was its responsibility. Rig crew may have missed warning signals before explosion. Has vague emergency procedures.

    Halliburton, 3 percent
    Possible contamination of cement used to seal well at Deepwater Horizon rig. Possible leak of natural gas through cement seal.

    The Rest of Us, 22 percent
    We drive. We fly. We buy gizmos and food shipped long distances. We consume petrochemicals via our clothes, furniture, gadgets, painkillers, cosmetics, magazines, meals. And we don't fight hard enough to change the system.


    Well thats one opinion anyway.

  2. SiriuslyLong is offline
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    Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 3,560
    06-07-2010, 04:49 PM #2
    BP is my vote.

  3. Havakasha is offline
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    06-07-2010, 04:55 PM #3
    We agree S&L.
    I dont know how you could NOT blame BP.
    Somehow John figured out a way to blame everyone but those most responsible. LOL.
    Last edited by Havakasha; 06-07-2010 at 04:57 PM.

  4. SiriuslyLong is offline
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    06-09-2010, 01:56 PM #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Havakasha View Post
    We agree S&L.
    I dont know how you could NOT blame BP.
    Somehow John figured out a way to blame everyone but those most responsible. LOL.
    I'm sure there's a lot of blame to go around, but it's BP's endeavor. It's really that simple. I can't understand why there isn't redundency. "What if the surge protector fails? The second one will activate." There is a source of contention regarding blame.

  5. Havakasha is offline
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    06-14-2010, 04:39 PM #5
    John, check this article out if you want to understand a little bit about what consitutes a fairly objective assessment of who is to blame for the mess surrounding the oil spill.

    I know its tough to shake loss from your brainwashing, but give it a try.