And you think this oil spill is bad. Waiting in the wings:

A former contractor who worked for British Petroleum (BP) claims the oil conglomerate broke federal laws and violated its own internal procedures by failing to maintain crucial safety and engineering documents related to one of the firms other deepwater production projects in the Gulf of Mexico, according to internal emails and other documents obtained by Truthout.

The whistleblower, whose name has been withheld at the person's request because the whistleblower still works in the oil industry and fears retaliation, first raised concerns about safety issues related to BP Atlantis, the world's largest and deepest semi-submersible oil and natural gas platform, located about 200 miles south of New Orleans, in November 2008. Atlantis, which began production in October 2007, has the capacity to produce about 8.4 MILLION GALLONS of OIL and 180 MILLION CUBIC FEET of NATURAL GAS************

PER DAY!

There is much more about this disaster waiting to happen: http://www.truthout.org/whistlelower-bps-other-offshore-drilling-project-gulf-vulnerable-catastrophe59027

Gah! Just Gah!

everyone needs to see this.

because everyone needs to see this. These oily bastards need to all be hauled in front of a judge and given their day in court. If found guilty given hard time

Kicking it on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and so on will keep it toward the top of GD. Ultimately kicking is more important in the long run than getting Recs.

Well done, DUers.

..at a family get together today, both my brother and BIL are saying Obama had the well bombed so the Dems could raise gas prices while stopping additional drilling in the gulf. His statement last month was a cover for the bombing to come. I just bit my lip because it is useless but still I am just amazed and bummed.

And BP just seems to be playing around waiting for the US government to come in to take over responsibility for the stopage and cleanup. Most of their effort seems to be ass covering and Public Relations/lobbying congress with cash.

I am wondering how many other safety regulations were ignored routinely - obviously in mining and oil industries, the GOP gave them all a free pass, but this extends to food and meat inspection, and who knows where else - I think this is just beginning of the beginning.

mark

As Pogo once said "we have met the enemy and he is us"

And we can see example after example how that works can't we? Businesses in every industry will resort to unethical, immoral or criminal acts to make money if they are allowed to 'regulate themselves'. How can conservatives believe such nonsense? Are they that stupid?

Corporations are led by people, greedy people. All they care about is their bottom lines and getting as rich as possible as quick as possible. And yet conservative believe people who have a lust for massive wealth should be trusted? Hell, conservatives believe greed is a virtue and capitalism is a god to be worshipped. They look at CEOs as disciples of their godly capitalism.

I'm not against corporations or people making money. I am against people or corporations which act irresponsibly and driven by greed. The combination of irresponsibility and greed ALWAYS lead to disaster. And we are always the victims of their irresponsibility.

is the terminology the previous administration pushed so much while they were secretly meeting with these corporations.

In my book there is no such thing as self regulating we now have the oil and coal industry that have proven that there is no such thing.

As the government starts to clamp down and implements the proper regulation we will see these companies spend $$$ on the tea party and extreme right wing organizations. Mark my word!

which would have been optimal and problem free had it been left to the devices of that mythical free market they love to croon about.

Ergo, more deregulation is needed.


(I swear I have heard libertarians follow that line of thought in previous arguments involving corporate clusterf*cks).

their was an accident we would be in deep ca ca.

wrong with that rig that it's just a matter of time.

use language like "seep" and "ooze". Five days ago it was 42,000 gallons per day :mad:
excerpts from articles)

Forgot to post link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703871904575216382160623498.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

Aside from some of BP's history of shoddy safety record, the main issue being discussed revolves around the documents/schematics of the various hardware and software components of the rig(s). In the case of the article, the "rig" is the Atlantis rather than the Deepwater, but if one extrapolates, it's easy to conclude that the same situation exists for both/all BP-run facilities.

The whistleblower was complaining because these documents were not being kept current (meaning, accurate) AND were not signed off by qualified personnel (eg, engineers). A few choice excerpts:

"BP only turned over 'as-built' drawings for topsides and hull, despite the fact that the whistleblower’s allegations have always been about whether BP maintains complete and accurate engineer approved documents for it subsea components," Food & Water Watch said in a 19-page letter it sent toWilliam Hauser, MMS’s Chief, Regulations and Standards Branch."

and later:

"Last October, Food & Water Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for expedited processing, seeking documents from MMS that indicate BP "has in its possession a complete and accurate set of 'as built' drawings ... for its entire Atlantis Project, including the subsea sector." "As-built" means lead engineers on a specific project have to make sure updated technical documents match the "as-built" condition of equipment before its used."

and then this, the kicker:

"In response, MMS said that although some of its regulatory requirements governing offshore oil and gas operations do require "as built" drawings, they need not be complete or accurate and, furthermore, are irrelevant to a hazard analysis BP was required to complete."

to which this rebuttal comes:

"'We also request that MMS describe how a regulation that requires offshore operators to maintain certain engineering documents, but does not require that those documents be complete or accurate, is appropriately protective of human health and the environment.'"

Oh boy.

These kinds of rules are exactly what is wrong with big Democratic government. Its killin' Big Bidniss with all this damned paperwork and regulation. The platform floats. The drills drill. What's the need for that silly history.


(In case it wasn't obvious, this was sarcasm in the extreme)

interference (not the Execs of these companies) but the stooges that follow them blindly will only understand how bad it is when they are directly impacted. All of those states that are impacted by this spill will understand when their lives are directly impacted.

Sad, Sad situation.

Can you spell D-i-c-k A-r-m-e-y?

things.

i stay out of the really divisive political fray on my personal FB page, but this isn't divisive in my opinion. this is just conveying information that my non-Florida friends are likely not aware of.

being correct almost every time? They placate big oil, wall street, the banks, warmongers and in the end while those entities get huge short term profits, the rest of us and the planet we live get screwed royally. Enough of this losing policy. fight them don't reconcile with them!

to really really try to do better next time. But jail? Hard time? Those of you advocating that are forgetting that these are rich white people. That type of punishment would be terribly inconvenient for them.
(and just in case it's needed ; ya never know::sarcasm: )

'Important' doesn't do this justice.

between his oil buddies and Haliburton we will all have to pay the price for years. Thanks for posting this.

:kick:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html

Though the investigation into the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon site is still in its early stages, drilling experts agree that blame probably lies with flaws in the "cementing" process -- that is, plugging holes in the pipeline seal by pumping cement into it from the rig. Halliburton was in charge of cementing for Deepwater Horizon.

:cry:

:hug:

Back at ya: :hug:

I wonder how they'll get around this one, or if they'll even bother to pretend?

BP will simply declare bankruptcy like Union Carbide did after that huge chemical explosion in India.

If this oil/gas is so deep into the Earth's crust and it's such a large amount, how the hell are they going to cap it? And isn't the platform on top of where they need to cap the oil gusher?

F*cking oil boyz and their greed.

This was only a matter of time. And might I add: Mother Nature has had it. She ain't gonna take it anymore.

BP/Haliburton could be responsible for the death of the Gulf and other waters. Now...all we'll need is a hurricane and there will be oil covering the crops up in Iowa or wherever.

And Obama had just approved more of this crap.

:wtf: is wrong w/ electric cars, geothermal, and solar panels? We don't even need that much oil if there were only the POLITICAL WILL.

greedy corporations there is no justice. There simply isn't.

The corporations are aware that they are no longer are required to have "personal responsibility" as they were in the past. They are no longer responsible for super sites, these are now the responsibility of the tax payer.

Since the year 2000 when the SCOTUS awarded corporate * Bush, the presidency, there has been a new way of doing things.

There will be no punishment or fine placed on BP that comes close to the level of their malfeasance. And only peons will see any jail time. And they might come up with a scape goat-someone almost entirely innocent.

Thanks for the thread, grits.

countries should never be dictated by economic interests. I agree with considering them, but this is extremist shit that must be stopped. These fuckers have no respect for others, just their own bottom lines. There is something very wrong with this mentality of taking at any cost.

They aren't releasing the numbers, but an anonymous someone said Deepwater Horizon is sitting on 10s of millions of barrels. Yes. 10s of millions.

fuck you Leo Strauss and all your gd minnions...from Reagan to Dubya!

Me too!

Oh how can I say that?

Well because we keep electing the same people and basically give them lifetime jobs in our Senate and Congress..everyone else's congressman/woman is the bad Guy..Everyone else's senator is the bad guy..didn't you know that???

We, yes you and me, have helped make these people "STARS".

When the other side does bad stuff they are the bad guy..but when ours do it..we put aside our principles and values and we suck it up...or some try intimidation to shut others up into silence..we all saw that done right here at DU when many of us on the Gulf Coasts and the Atlantic Ocean and the millions of miles of coastlines Obama opened up to drilling..we were berated and bitch slapped by many here at DU when those of us with backyards on the coast lines were so upset and so demoralized when Obama ..a Dem president ..a Democratic President ..went against his campaign promises ..and announced to the world he was going to allow Drilling on millions of miles of USA coastlines..

We look the other way when ours grabs power he isn't entitled to under our constitution..if the other side does it..it is bad..when ours does it..wellllll is just A-OK..and we keep voting the bastards into office..because our side is so damn good ..don't you know!!

The sooner people in this country realize..these were never meant to be lifetime jobs..In our Senate and Congress..and that there are not really two parties...that is mere illusion...but one party of elites with one big giant fucking money pot in the middle..that is when we will take our nation back for we the people.

Don;t keep pointing the finger at" the other ones"..look into your mirror ..start looking into what is really going on..not just what you want to believe is going on..stop with the damn catch phrases..."change and hope" don't mean a damn thing when nothing is changing and more and more of your family and friends and neighbors are losing hope each and every day.

Democrats for decades have been fighting these drilling rigs in our waterways..but When Obama opened up drilling.. dems just laid down and died..Unless you were actively fighting it..YOU are part of the problem.our congress people and senators are the problem..My dem senator has been against drilling and vocal about it ..because his constituency is..but what did he do when Obama announced opening up 2/3rd of both sides of our state in Fla to drilling..he went right along..well that fucker will never see another dime of my money and not another of my votes.,,not another day of my footwork ..and not another call will I make for that bastard!...and I will put money into seeing him replaced!
And every dem that went along I will work my ass off to see them replaced..and removed from office.

Remember much of this drilling could not have been done without votes and help from Dems..

All of these bastards have gotten their pockets greased..you know it and I know it..none of them are innocent.and yet they get a free ride from many here because they are "DEMOCRATS"

Don't let others intimidate you..you are here on DU..You know the truth.,live by it! Either ignore the assholes or tell them the fuck off! But don't let others intimidate you into silence!

This is one earth we have..they don't give a rats ass about it..because money is their driving drug..and Power.

The constitution belongs to you..it is a fragile idea..you either grasp it with all your might ..or " you " won't be the victim..the future generations will be the victims...and history will hold you accountable.

Stop looking for an escape goat..and step up to the damn plate.


And hold ours accountable ..while you are passing blame ..and stop with the " Blind Obedience "..because when you are blind ..we are all your victims!..You are the owner of this country..you are the employer of our President and our congress and senators..start acting like the employers! And fire every one of them if they don't do their jobs, as directed by.. YOU.. the employer!

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Obama: “Oil Rigs Today Generally Don’t Cause Spills”

Obama Repeats Katrina Oil Spill Myth To Defend Offshore Drilling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm8gLmuTvJ4&feature=play...


By: David Dayen Thursday April 29, 2010 1:42 pm

snip:

What a difference 18 days makes. Here was Barack Obama, on April 2, before the BP oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, claiming that oil rigs are safe to justify his position on offshore drilling:

I don’t agree with the notion that we shouldn’t do anything. It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced. Even during Katrina, the spills didn’t come from the oil rigs, they came from the refineries onshore.

Not only does this quote look ridiculous in hindsight, it wasn’t true at the time, as Brad Johnson points out:

Obama’s claim that oil rigs did not cause any spills during Hurricane Katrina is simply false, as the Wonk Room reported in June, 2008, when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and other conservatives made the same false claim:

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Caused 124 Offshore Spills For A Total Of 743,700 Gallons. 554,400 gallons were crude oil and condensate from platforms, rigs and pipelines, and 189,000 gallons were refined products from platforms and rigs.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Caused Six Offshore Spills Of 42,000 Gallons Or Greater. The largest of these was 152,250 gallons, well over the 100,000 gallon threshhold considered a “major spill.”

http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/04/29/obama-oil-rigs-t... ’t-cause-spills/


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YouTube - Barack Obama on Offshore Oil Drilling ( to Florida voters while asking for their votes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8fkbEuCQss&NR=1

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This is what was posted to or at me when i was screaming of what Obama was doing ..against all Dem principles and values I have held dear and fought for for my entire adult lifetime and against what all dems have fought against with drilling off our coastlines ..and what dem environmentalists have fought against..and those of us who have fought so hard to save our eco-system...

yes this was just a small dose of Du paid fuckers intimidation..they will never shut me up..in fact I will do my damnest to expose each and everyone of them for who and what they are! This poster was replying to my post the day Obama announced his approval od drilling off our coast lines and my reporting on what the Sierra club was saying here in Fla and what environ. professors were saying..

This was before the spill...

I won't name this poster..he will know who he is ..

I wonder how the spill is working for this person now?????????

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A du'er's post to me..

It's embarrassing how some environmental groups are so goddamn knee-jerky. Maybe they need more money... as one who gives to the Sierra Club on occasion and actually worked for Greenpeace for a stint, I know how it works.

Goes to show that politics isn't chess- it has elements of chance. Obama's been almost charmed politically for most of his career. This time, he and his advisers crapped out.

Bound to happen sooner or later- given the proclivity to assent to various degrees of dysfunctional policies advanced by the corporate right, but something of this magnitude just makes one shake their heads and hope that at the very least, the administration has learned something.

Had they simply held true to progressive policies and values- and kept pushing the alternative energy programs that they campaigned on, they'd be looking prescient- instead, they lumped themselves in with the drill, baby drill crowd. Way to blow a profound political and moral advantage.

As long as they could make money, f*ck the rest of the world.

Their corporate slogan is obviously, "PROFITS BEFORE SAFETY"

The fines were not high enough to make BP or any other company feel the need to make sure there would be no accidents. This is a perfect parallel to what is going on in the coal-mining industry as well.
b

they have no humanity and will kill us all.

Oil Leak Could Be 5 Times Larger than the 5 Times Larger Estimate (25,000 Barrels a Day)
Sat May-01-10 10:54 PM
Source: Christian Science Monitor

C'mon, how big is the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, really?

Official estimates for the flow of oil out of the Deepwater Horizon well may be just a drop in the bucket. Critics call for release of worst-case scenario data to describe the oil spill disaster.

By Patrik Jonsson, Staff writer / May 1, 2010
Atlanta

Calculating the exact flow of crude out of the bent Deepwater Horizon oil rig "riser" pipe on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is difficult. But it's now likely that the actual amount of the oil spill dwarfs the Coast Guard's figure of 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day.

Independent scientists estimate that the renegade wellhead at the bottom of the Gulf could be spewing up to 25,000 barrels a day. If chokeholds on the riser pipe break down further, up to 50,000 barrels a day could be released, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration memo obtained by the Mobile, Ala., Press-Register.

As estimates of the spill increase, questions about the government's honesty in assessing the spill are emerging. At the same time, pressure is building for the US to release worst-case scenario estimates so residents of the Gulf Coast can adequately prepare.

more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0501/C-mon-how-big-is...

Life..they say they have the 4 Vets available and animal trained people ready to go where needed..they are training the workers to protect themselves from dangerous chemicals..they have plenty of space to house birds..until they can be returned to their natural enviornment..

But our news made aware that the Turtles that come into the beaches to lay their eggs at this time of the year need to be protected..this is the time they come into our beaches ..If you are in SW. Fla keep your lights by the beaches turned off at night..with a prayer..they will come south of the oil..

This is so wrong, and the only thing I can think to move Obama on is putting an absolute HALT to other rigs with the same circumstances, which probably means most of them.

What will the Sunday talkers be talking about, eh? Illegals?

I'd like to drag every oil executive down to the Gulf and stick their Godamned face under this guck until they have to breath, but it goes against everything I've ever done in my career to help people breathe (yeah, I know, they're not people).

I'm so sick of this, but thanks for your post.

as if we didn't know. Thanks, neighbor, for posting the link.

:kick: