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In the southern marshes and swamplands of Louisiana, local fishermen refer to BP as "Bayou Polluter"-and that was before the April 20 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by the oil giant. Fishermen say BP spills oil every year and they point out marshes still dead from dispersants that were sprayed there.
If President Obama has a say, BP will stand for "Better Pay" for the environmental and economic damages that will stem from the uncontrolled leak, likely at 20,000 barrels (840,000 gallons) a day, according to satellite imagery.
In the Exxon Valdez spill, people counted on the oil company to respond to and clean up the mess, and we counted on Congress and the legal system to hold the oil industry accountable for damages to the environment and local communities and economies. In hindsight, these turned out to be bad ideas-for reasons I've recounted in two books. Exxon dodged penalties through long court battles, systematically underestimating the scope of the spill, and leveraging the costs of clean-up to avoid fines and penalties. The company even wrote off the cost of clean-up as a business expense. Where's the deterrent in that?
Let's not make the same mistakes again. BP's leak from the rig blowout is so catastrophic and so out of control that the situation calls for all hands on deck-for immediate response, for dealing with the spill's long-term ramifications, and for preventing another disaster of this magnitude.
What can impacted communities, governments, and states do to monitor, cleanup, and restore marshes and beaches?
What can local impacted communities, governments, and states do to protect public health and worker safety?
What can people do to help? Lots. The Obama Administration, Congress, and the states need to hear from all of us.
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In the southern marshes and swamplands of Louisiana, local fishermen refer to BP as "Bayou Polluter"-and that was before the April 20 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by the oil giant. Fishermen say BP spills oil every year and they point out marshes still dead from dispersants that were sprayed there.
If President Obama has a say, BP will stand for "Better Pay" for the environmental and economic damages that will stem from the uncontrolled leak, likely at 20,000 barrels (840,000 gallons) a day, according to satellite imagery.
In the Exxon Valdez spill, people counted on the oil company to respond to and clean up the mess, and we counted on Congress and the legal system to hold the oil industry accountable for damages to the environment and local communities and economies. In hindsight, these turned out to be bad ideas-for reasons I've recounted in two books. Exxon dodged penalties through long court battles, systematically underestimating the scope of the spill, and leveraging the costs of clean-up to avoid fines and penalties. The company even wrote off the cost of clean-up as a business expense. Where's the deterrent in that?
Let's not make the same mistakes again. BP's leak from the rig blowout is so catastrophic and so out of control that the situation calls for all hands on deck-for immediate response, for dealing with the spill's long-term ramifications, and for preventing another disaster of this magnitude.
What can impacted communities, governments, and states do to monitor, cleanup, and restore marshes and beaches?
What can local impacted communities, governments, and states do to protect public health and worker safety?
What can people do to help? Lots. The Obama Administration, Congress, and the states need to hear from all of us.
In the southern marshes and swamplands of Louisiana, local fishermen refer to BP as "Bayou Polluter"-and that was before the April 20 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by the oil giant. Fishermen say BP spills oil every year and they point out marshes still dead from dispersants that were sprayed there.
If President Obama has a say, BP will stand for "Better Pay" for the environmental and economic damages that will stem from the uncontrolled leak, likely at 20,000 barrels (840,000 gallons) a day, according to satellite imagery.
In the Exxon Valdez spill, people counted on the oil company to respond to and clean up the mess, and we counted on Congress and the legal system to hold the oil industry accountable for damages to the environment and local communities and economies. In hindsight, these turned out to be bad ideas-for reasons I've recounted in two books. Exxon dodged penalties through long court battles, systematically underestimating the scope of the spill, and leveraging the costs of clean-up to avoid fines and penalties. The company even wrote off the cost of clean-up as a business expense. Where's the deterrent in that?
Let's not make the same mistakes again. BP's leak from the rig blowout is so catastrophic and so out of control that the situation calls for all hands on deck-for immediate response, for dealing with the spill's long-term ramifications, and for preventing another disaster of this magnitude.
What can impacted communities, governments, and states do to monitor, cleanup, and restore marshes and beaches?
What can local impacted communities, governments, and states do to protect public health and worker safety?
What can people do to help? Lots. The Obama Administration, Congress, and the states need to hear from all of us.