Month after oil spill, why is BP still in charge?

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press


Month after oil spill, why is BP still in charge?
AP

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer – Fri May 21, 9:59 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Days after the Gulf Coast oil spill, the Obama administration pledged to keep its "boot on the throat" of BP to make sure the company did all it could to cap the gushing leak and clean up the spill.

But a month after the April 20 explosion, anger is growing about why BP PLC is still in charge of the response.

"I'm tired of being nice. I'm tired of working as a team," said Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana.

"The government should have stepped in and not just taken BP's word," declared Wayne Stone of Marathon, Fla., an avid diver who worries about the spill's effect on the ecosystem.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill_bp_in_charge

[eleny]

1. Can't you wait for the commission to do its thing?

Yeah, that's right - there's going to be a commission! Hey kids, let's clean out the barn and have a show!

[bluestateguy]

2. Suddenly all of these small government Southern conservatives want a government takeover

Well, fine, we will be happy to oblige.

[OregonBlue]

3. The law makes BP responsible and it would be a violation of the law for the government to take this

over. If they want to do that they have to change the current law.

[scentopine]

4. Executive Order -nt

[Igel]

31. Oh, goodie.

An executive order regime like that would allow anybody holding the presidency to declare himself a legal dictator. Now *that* is a flaw in the Constitution and legal system, and a pretty severe one. Surprised it hasn't been plugged.

Oh. Wait. The flaw doesn't exist and never did.

Obama's still bound by the Constitution and the laws as passed by Congress and signed by sitting presidents (or passed by Congress, which then overruled a presidential veto).

Sad, I know, a dictator is good as long as he's *our* dictator.

Oh. Wait. Never mind that last bit.

[rebecca_herman]

18. Seems like a bad law

I am shocked there are no provisions in the law that allows going to court to try and gain the right for the government to take over if the company is not adequately cleaning it up leading to an environmental disaster. Doesn't seem to be a very well written law if there are no provisions to do SOMETHING else if the company that caused it keeps failing and failing and failing....

[Lorien]

28. There is no such law. nt

[ljm2002]

37. Please see this thread...

...regarding the National Emergencies Act:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8391891

"Under the Powers delegated by such statute, the President may seize property, organize and control means of production, seize commodities, assign military forces abroad, institute martial law, seize and control all transportation and communication, regulate the means of free enterprise, restrict travel, and, in a variety of ways, control the lives of United States citizens."

and much more info in the cited thread.

[Lorien]

27. Bullshit. The law states that BP cannot do anything which does not positively effect

it's corporate bottom line. With that as a limitation they will NEVER effectively fix this. Pre-Reagan the US government took care of all National disasters. It's time to grow up and put adults back in charge.

[Usrename]

36. There is a national oil spill response plan that should be law.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8395400

The law should be followed.

There is no law that puts BP in charge of this disaster, at least none that I am aware of. There is supposed to be federal control.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Surely the invisible hand of the free market will wave its magic wand and make it go away?

Any day now.

[ShamelessHussy]

6. if the gov takes over, then BP can/will blame them for any/all damages. which may be the WH fear BUT

this is a disaster of such EPIC proportions that to have any hope of responding effectively it REQUIRES the massive resources that only nation states can bring to bear.

sure BP has a role to play to, but they definitely shouldn't be the lead.

this only goes to show that...

1. we are not prepared for this kind of responsibility (corporations and nations) which is frightening when you consider that there are 3K more wells in operation there.
2. but perhaps even more frightening is how much control corporations have over our nation

:scared:

[aquart]

10. Energy is too vital to our economy and national security to be in private hands.

[ShamelessHussy]

32. excellent point, comrade - in my best glen beck sneer

you make way too much sense... your phones are probably tapped ;)

:hi:

[and-justice-for-all]

7. Because it is their fucking mess...

They should also be fined for every day that their mess is not cleaned up. Fine them to the point that BP no longer exist or nationalize BP and change their name to 'PP' (Peoples Petroleum)

[Lorien]

26. So the people who were so incompetent that they CAUSED the disaster

are suddenly competent enough to fix it? I think not. The only thing they should be in charge of is paying the bill. Time to ditch the "corporations always do it better than the people's government does" Reagan philosophy. Enron alone disproved that ages ago.

[and-justice-for-all]

30. Tough shit....

they fuck up and everyone else pays for it...THEY CAN CLEAN THAT SHIT UP and be fined for it as well...

"corporations always do it better than the people's government does" Reagan philosophy" I did not say that and I disagree with it as well.

[ShamelessHussy]

33. technically, it's all our mess now...

not sure it's such a good idea to leave the idiots who set the fire in charge, either.

something to think about...

[Dream Girl]

8. It would be extremely dumb for Obama to insert the government into this mess.

It is untenable and Obama knows that BTW, he's smarter than you....

[donco6]

13. Yeah, gee, 3D chess and all.

:eyes:

[William Z. Foster]

14. WTF?

Has libertarianism completely taken over the thinking of Democrats?

Is partisan politics the main concern here?

This is the reason we have government - to protect the public in catastrophes such as this.

This is the job description for the executive branch - step in, take over and lead.

[donco6]

23. It's RAMPANT here lately.

I don't get it either.

[Lorien]

25. The ghosts of Reagan and Friedman have possessed many here lately

just goes to prove that a little charisma and propaganda can work wonders on flipping the ideology of many upside down.

[robinblue]

17. It is already his "Katrinia"! Quess now is What to do about the mess besides

"oversee" the mess and point fingers. --or a commission to find the 'root cause".

[Lorien]

24. Spoken like a devoted Reaganite

"Corporations do everything better than American citizens". The teabaggers couldn't agree with you more. :eyes:

[ShamelessHussy]

34. have you been paying any attention? the gov has been involved since day 1

the question is why aren't they in the LEAD?

a major NATIONAL disaster demands gov involvement, it's their job, but why is BP calling the shots?

clue fer ya...

plutocracy

psst... and Obama's waaaay smarter than you :evilgrin:

[earth mom]

38. Obama refuses to listen to scientists and people like Al Gore because he's smart?!

ROFLMAO!

:rofl:

Yeah, it would be funny, if it all wasn't so damn tragic and catastrophic!!!

[Cetacea]

9. Because they are always on the verge of fixing it!

Top Cat, Cat Woman, Kill Bill. We have all of the fixes you need to not work.

[MisterP]

11. why are we still in Iraq and Afghanistan?

why is a public-education opponent Secretary of Education? why are Citi and Goldman trolls in charge of the economy? why is the administration fighting for indefinite detention without charge? why is the President for dirty energy? why is the solution to the above problems always "be sure to vote Dem and get other people to do so"?

[donco6]

12. Why are gays still kicked out of the military?

Why can banks still be "too big to fail"? Why is no one facing charges for anything, ever?

[hayu_lol]

16. The only 'experts' in this situation are those who caused...

the problem. Who else can figure out how to close off this blow-out safely? You think we have government officials(IQs of 70 or so)who know anything about this?

The only experts on the planet are those who caused the damage. Look at the names of the companies involved and follow the tentacles out to the ends.

For the govt. to step in and put ignorance in charge would only make a bad situation worse.

[donco6]

22. That's not even logical.

Those who caused the problem have already proven themselves to be completely incompetent. And yet the wisdom of the day says they're the ONLY one's who can fix it?

WTF?

[ShamelessHussy]

35. yikes, can't imagine anything more scary then incompetency being held up as expert leadership

[Octafish]

15. Same reason Gates still runs the Pentagon.

The orders stil stand.

[amborin]

19. BP is making Obama look weak

[Catherina]

20. Because they're the main oil supplier to the the US military propping up Capitalism

Because they're the main oil supplier to the the US military propping up Capitalism.

It gets no simpler than that. That's why our *reprensentatives* can't even manage the blatant charade right now.

Our lives mean nothing next to profits ensured by the war machine.

[sam kane]

21. This is insane. It is not a "spill", that implies it is over. nt.

[WillyT]

29. Big K & R !!!

:kick: