Why is BP still in charge of the Gulf oil spill?
The oil keeps pouring out of the Gulf, with no solution in sight. its been a month, so, why is BP still in charge of the situation, instead of the Federal Government?
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Maybe because the right would scream socialism again. And it would cost alot of money so they would also complain about spending.
Kind of reminds me of when Cheney, et al gave Halliburton their no-bid contract to secure Iraqi oil wells, since they were “the only company qualified to do the work.”
One can only speculate on why they are still in charge, but short of capping the well with a nuclear blast, I don’t see how the government would have any more expertise than BP. This is all assuming, of course, that they’re not trying to fuck everything up on purpose.
Yeah… I really see the government taking over without everyone complaining “they’re not making BP take responsibility” “They’re spending taxpayer dollars for something that’s not our fault/problem” blah blah blah. And of course, since they’re not doing anything, everyone’s complaining “They’re doing this on purpose” “they don’t care”. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
I agree with @ragingloli and @Seek_Kolinahr. If the government steps in and takes over, all of the crazies on the right would wreak holy hell. This would be an actual government takeover of a corporate operation, as opposed to a supposed one.
That said, to hell with them. This needed to have happened long ago.
Do you think the Feds learned something back in 1989 with the adventures of the Exxon Valdez spill?
It is so that BP can continue to mislead us as to the extent of the problem, and not have to mitigate the actual damages. Big Oil still has many protectors in Congress. They are just keeping it on the down-low right now.
Do you think Obama himself is enamored of big oil or just many members of Congress? I agree it is a damned if you damned if you don’t situation, but certainly the Feds should be overseeing/having input in to what BP should be doing. I truly believe no-one knows what the hell to do. As I’ve said elsewhere, I am so upset by the whole thing that I have not been able to follow it with my usual gimlet eye.
Here is a link that I just found.
If the government steps in, it’s “socialism”. Even though it’s really not.
If the government does not step in, it’s because “there’s lots of Big Oil protectors in Congress.”
Can Government do anything right in anyones’ eyes anymore?
Thinking about it, the only Federal laws that would allow the Government to step in are the ones that would involve putting FEMA in charge. However, the usual regulator of oil drilling on Federal lands is not FEMA, of course, but the Mineral Management Service which is generally in bed with the big companies they oversee. So it looks like a case of two Federal agencies that aren’t stepping on each others’ toes.
@laureth I could fall platonically in love with you – you are so wise!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! I have been wondering the same thing myself. They have not taken appropriate responsibility and have not cleaned up our mess. In the meantime there is HUGE environmental degradation happening. Someone needs to take this matter into their own hands. I suspect the answer to your question is “because it is messy and there is no easy solution”. No one wants to be blamed for not getting the job done so they stay away. I say get over yourselves and clean up this mess. I fail to see why governments across this half of the globe have not stepped in and done something about this. BP can take responsibility in some other way, mainly paying for the government’s clean up. Argh! Sorry I’m rambling but this whole thing upsets me.
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