Who is the most to blame for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

[samsmart]

Who is the most to blame for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

The President, because he has executive power over government departments and agencies and should have reacted faster and with more directness?

Congress, because they write the laws that form regulations on both businesses and government operations but did not do either adequately enough to prevent or halt the spill?

British Petroleum, because they've told Congress the industry can best regulate itself and yet their industry response has proven inadequate?

Other?

Nobody?

 

[reefedjib]

I think that people are doing the best they can with the spill and the leak. Yes there was not the proper equipment positioned before hand. **** happens. They corrected that.

The issue as I see it is who, if anyone, is culpable for causing the leak in the first place. I think it is clear that BP caused it. From what I have heard/read BP modified the BOP so it didn't function as needed. Furthermore, they evidently overrode Halliburton's advice to keep heavy mud in the pipe and replaced it with seawater. For all the money they were spending, they couldn't afford a modern, cutting edge BOP, I think called an acoustic BOP. There was talk that they knew pressure was rising in advance, by like a day, and they couldn't do anything about it. It may be that they couldn't have done anything about it anyway, if the equipment was solid. Don't know and we probably never will. Bottom line is BP was in charge, made overriding decisions on equipment and procedure, and is ultimately responsible.

 

[Burning Giraffe]

This can happen. BP is responsible and given the scope of the problem they are doing everything possible to get this fixed. I'm not sure what the US Congress can accomplish here. President Obama could always send more resources and approve Louisiana's requests for aid. But apparently we don't help Louisiana if it has a Republican Governor.

 

[Regicollis]

It is BP's oil rig that is causing the problems and it is their responsibility to clean up their own mess. It was also BP who had the possibility of preventing a disaster like this from happening. Maybe government institutions can be blamed for having been too lax about control measures and failing to put up demands but the main responsibility lies with BP.

 

[Redress]

You know what though? Sometimes **** just happens, and I think more than anything, that is what this is. Zero defects never happens.

 

[Jucon]

This can happen. BP is responsible and given the scope of the problem they are doing everything possible to get this fixed. I'm not sure what the US Congress can accomplish here. President Obama could always send more resources and approve Louisiana's requests for aid. But apparently we don't help Louisiana if it has a Republican Governor.

Yes this stuff can happen... which is why they should have multiple plans (that work) to close off the well head. It blows my mind that they don't know what will work to fix this. The only plan they have will take months meanwhile people are losing business and jobs and the Gulf is being ruined.

If congress should do anything it should be to require all new off shore oil rigs to have multiple already dug relief wells ready incase something happens with the origional well head. Either that or make sure the damn equipment works. Or just find another solution that works.

Man the oil companies do have it too easy... they don't have to pay taxes and they aren't expected to ensure the effectiveness of their equipment... all for the sake of cheap oil.

 

[jking948]

**** does happen. Should it be a surprise that something like this happen, possibly, I don't necessarily believe so. I believe BP should have had a team of scientist with a list of plans just ready to roll in case of an oil spill. Now by the time this is over we will have spilled 75 million gallons(Conservative estimate) of oil into the gulf. THis will permanently damage our country and our world.

 

[WI Crippler]

BP is "responsible" in that its their rig, and the spill is happening under their watch. Obviously there was no intent to create a spill, and BP is doing what it can to try and slow/stop the flow(even if unsuccessful they are trying). Sometimes unexpected things happen outside the scope of what we know. That's why every crisis is an opportunity. This is an opportunity to make oil drilling safer in the future.

The only thing we can sit here and say is "are there resources available to immediately stop the flow of oil?" If the answer continues to be no, then there is not much we can do than try and find the solution at either the private or government level. If the answer is yes, and someone does have the ability to stop this, we have to wonder why they aren't providing it.

 

[mike2810]

All of us who demand oil based products along with BP,

 

[zimmer]

Who is the most to blame for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

The President, because he has executive power over government departments and agencies and should have reacted faster and with more directness?

Congress, because they write the laws that form regulations on both businesses and government operations but did not do either adequately enough to prevent or halt the spill?

British Petroleum, because they've told Congress the industry can best regulate itself and yet their industry response has proven inadequate?

Other?

Nobody?

Let's have a thorough investigation to find the facts.
All the facts.

One point:
We have much easier oil to access, and we have masses of it.

Having to go to the deep seas and draw it out because some enviromaniacs and their political arm don't like us to drill where it makes most sense... these folks shoulder a good chunk of the blame.

There should be Congressional Hearings, broadcast nationally, and those who have opposed should be grilled as to why we cannot drill where it makes most sense.

.

 

[Gina]

There have already been two posts expressing my opinion, BP is responsible. They overrode safety concerns (modifying the BOP) and the suggestions from Halliburton as to the mud. Unless that is found to be inaccurate, it leaves BP holding the bag.

They post billions in profit and balk at spending $500k for an acoustic BOP. Norway and Brazil demand that rigs be outfitted with them. Hopefully our congress will grow a spine and demand it now as well. I'd like to hear oil companies whine about the cost.

If congress should do anything it should be to require all new off shore oil rigs to have multiple already dug relief wells ready incase something happens with the origional well head. Either that or make sure the damn equipment works. Or just find another solution that works.

Man the oil companies do have it too easy... they don't have to pay taxes and they aren't expected to ensure the effectiveness of their equipment... all for the sake of cheap oil.

I agree, excellent suggestion and as as I understand it, other countries demand that oil companies simultaneously drill a relief well alongside the original well. I heard this on the radio, so it wasn't sourced. I can only find this, quickly anyway.

In the western Arctic, oil companies are pressing federal regulators to ease demands for relief wells that might help avert disasters like the one unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil firms operating in the Beaufort Sea must be able to drill relief wells, and if necessary, safely shut them down with original wells during a single Arctic drilling season.

Require Relief Wells From the Start

If we are going to allow drilling in extremely deep water, this makes sense.

 

[Crosscheck]

It is like in hockey. You are always responsible for any damage by your stick.
It was BP's stick that did the damage.

If you go into the woods to light fireworks and the woods catch on fire then....

But enough with the fingerpointing for now. It really looks like a relief well is the only answer and all these other unproven attempts are just taking up valuable time.

 

[Agent Ferris]

It is BP's oil rig that is causing the problems and it is their responsibility to clean up their own mess.

It is the Federal Governments policy of claiming the offshore land land, then leasing the land for royalties on the oil sales which allowed this to happen in the first place, if this land had been allowed to be homesteaded and BP forced to assume total liability then they would actually have had incentive to self regulate instead the Federal Government actually did away with these incentives by placing a $75 million cap on BP liability. But of course this is what the corporatists in BP and the Government want and your solution is to get more statist monopoly interventionism in the market instead of less when it is less corporatism which is needed.

 

[Agent Ferris]

It is like in hockey. You are always responsible for any damage by your stick.
It was BP's stick that did the damage.

If you go into the woods to light fireworks and the woods catch on fire then....

And what happens when the owner of the land gives the kid the lighter and says have fun?

 

[sazerac]

There's got be a way to build a system that does not allow every oil well to pollute the whole damn gulf. If it's very expense so be it.

I don't hold BP responsible. I hold our government responsible for doing too little to protect us from our greedy selves.

 

[HeresToThePoint]

And what happens when the owner of the land gives the kid the lighter and says have fun?

Land owner might be an enabler; but people start fires to light fireworks, not lighters.

If BP is at fault for the leak due to negligence on their part, placing blame won't be difficult. But, I understand that **** happens and if BP is drilling in a unstable/difficult locations, theres probably a reason for it.

The main point I want to make is that we expect so much action from the Office of the President and our government as a whole. Perhaps the president should have spent more than 3 hours (Obama Vows to Help Stop Oil Spill's "Assault" - CBS News) on the beach, maybe comforted the local population and a bit earlier wouldn't have hurt either. But other than that, what else is there to do? The President of the USA has a lot of power and influence, but to fix a oil leak on the ocean floor calls for an expertise which BP maintains. As long as BP is taking responsibility and activey attempting to fix the problem, government intervention at this moment is unnecessary. For now, the focus is (as it should be) on fixing the leak - there will be plenty of time to point fingers later and pass legistlation later.

Obama finally has the sense to stay out of an issue which he has no expertise. Too bad he failed to provide the most basic of form of charity, comfort.

Respectfully, HTTP

On a side note:

There should be Congressional Hearings, broadcast nationally, and those who have opposed should be grilled as to why we cannot drill where it makes most sense.

I don't think that kind of theatricality is a effective use of tax dollars. We all know the government is the source of many significant problems in our lives.

 

[Your Star]

BP, plain and simple.

Though this is just another example of why we should stop using oil in the first place.

 

[samsmart]

The reason why I asked this question was because I keep hearing that the oil spill is Obama's "Katrina," and I don't think so at all. Instead of going after Obama, who's the easy target, I want to go after all the Congressmen and Senators who have been taking campaign donations from BP in order to ensure deregulation of the industry. Why hasn't an investigation to track down such campaign financing from the oil industry been started by the media to find out which of our legislators voted to reduce oil industry regulations? That's what I'd like done right now.

 

[TOJ]

BP, plain and simple.

Though this is just another example of why we should stop using oil in the first place.

Have you stopped using oil? If not, why not?


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[samsmart]

Have you stopped using oil? If not, why not?


.

If she hasn't, it may be because transportation industries haven't developed alternative energy sources. However, that doesn't mean people wouldn't once they have been researched and manufactured.

 

[Barbbtx]

The reason why I asked this question was because I keep hearing that the oil spill is Obama's "Katrina," and I don't think so at all. Instead of going after Obama, who's the easy target, I want to go after all the Congressmen and Senators who have been taking campaign donations from BP in order to ensure deregulation of the industry. Why hasn't an investigation to track down such campaign financing from the oil industry been started by the media to find out which of our legislators voted to reduce oil industry regulations? That's what I'd like done right now.

There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now this is a national crisis and not enough is being done to clean it up. That is where Obama needs to kick himself in the A and get every resource possible on the job. Several countries have offered to bring in large vessles etc. to skim. In fact the Dutch offered 2 days after the spill. There is tons of boom in warehouses and manufacturers ready to make more if Obama would give the go ahead. There are tons of ideas out there to clean it up all waiting for EPA approval. Several ideas were on Hannity. One was laying hay on the spill. It picks up almost all the oil. Now what harm is hay going to do compared to what the oil is doing. Yet no one is giving anyone the go ahead for ideas like that.
As far as the leak it self, I think everyone is doing everything they can to stop it. No one would want this more than BP. To say they aren't doing all they can is ridiculous and no amount of A kicking is going to get it stopped any faster.
We need to get serious about clean-up NOW and send BP the bill later.

 

[apdst]

This is BP's baby. I've never said otherwise, but let's face facts: BP didn't intentionally create this spill.

By the same token, this is Obama's baby. It's his job, as our national leader, to look out for the general welfare of the country. It says that in The Constitution. So far, he has done a piss poor job of responding to this spill.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

BP, plain and simple.

Though this is just another example of why we should stop using oil in the first place.

Be prepared to starve to death, all in the name of "green" energy.

 

[samsmart]

There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now this is a national crisis and not enough is being done to clean it up. That is where Obama needs to kick himself in the A and get every resource possible on the job. Several countries have offered to bring in large vessles etc. to skim. In fact the Dutch offered 2 days after the spill. There is tons of boom in warehouses and manufacturers ready to make more if Obama would give the go ahead. There are tons of ideas out there to clean it up all waiting for EPA approval. Several ideas were on Hannity. One was laying hay on the spill. It picks up almost all the oil. Now what harm is hay going to do compared to what the oil is doing. Yet no one is giving anyone the go ahead for ideas like that.
As far as the leak it self, I think everyone is doing everything they can to stop it. No one would want this more than BP. To say they aren't doing all they can is ridiculous and no amount of A kicking is going to get it stopped any faster.
We need to get serious about clean-up NOW and send BP the bill later.

It's not just holding BP to task I mean, however - I'm also talking about the Congressmen and Senators who have been in the oil industry's pockets while the President is getting so much heat. He's not the only one who deserves it, after all.

 

[TOJ]

If she hasn't, it may be because transportation industries haven't developed alternative energy sources. However, that doesn't mean people wouldn't once they have been researched and manufactured.

If this is such a good idea and not one else has done it, why don't you jump right in and fill the void? :roll:

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