BP remarks

1. 0

   woolman60posted 14 years ago

   So now we are known as the little people, BP chairman calls us little people and guess what UK we are not blaming you, so get over it, our shores are being destoyed, this is not about the UK this is about the world.

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      Doug Hughesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      "Svanberg apologized to the American people for the disaster. He said he hoped the company could earn back the trust of the American people, because "we care about the small people."
      
      CNN news - 06-16-10
      
      I'm a 'small person' on the Gulf coast of FL and I trust BP as far as I can throw the Deepwater Horizon. Kudos to Obama for forcing BP to put up 20 billion to be administered by a 3rd party arbiter not under the control of BP.

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      1. 70

         earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Track record is everything.
         Neither BP nor Halliband have a clean track record.
         
         Obama would be unpopular with some either way, but locking up the 20 billion through a fiduciary is prudent management in my view.
         I don't trust big oil either. We have good reasons not too.

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            alternate poetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Absolutely

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      2. 84

         rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         that was quite a statement, the small people... I realize English is not his native language but perhaps he should have gone over his notes with someone before speaking to the American people. Dudley from BP on PBS said that what he meant is the small business owners.
         
         I just read this in the NYtimes.
         http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/us/17 … ty.html?hp
         
         last year alone, their profit was 14 billion.

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   2. 0

      woolman60posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Under pressure from President Barack Obama, BP agreed today to set aside $20 billion in a spill recovery escrow account to compensate Gulf Coast fishermen and others who have lost wages and work because of the massive spill from a BP deep-water well.
      
      The company also said it will suspend its quarterly dividend payments to shareholders for the rest of this year and will divert some of that cash to the escrow account, which would be managed by an independent administrator and be funded over three and a half years.
      
      BP also agreed to set aside $100 million to compensate oil industry workers whose jobs disappear because of the government's moratorium on deep-water drilling and a delay of exploration in shallower depths while regulators develop new safety regulations.

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   3. 81

      Don Wposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think someone from the Minerals Management Service be in the hot seat also.

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      1. 71

         Ralph Deedsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         The head of the Minerals Management Service was scheduled to testify but she resigned last month, the day before her scheduled appearance before a House committee.
         
         http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill … ement.html

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   4. 0

      ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Nobody is blaming the UK? You couldn't have fooled me...
      
      "Maybe Britain should join us and help with this catastrophic problem that was created by a company based in your country." - woolman60
      
      And yes, that was one of your quotes. To quote a few more people:
      
      "If the United States had Exon off the coast of England dumping oil in the same amounts I think their people and Prime minister would be raising all manners of heck too!" - nifty @50
      
      "If this had happened off the coast of England, or any exotic locale of political interest, by now we'd have sent a big bundle of money and manpower their way to help."- KFlippin
      
      "If not for BP fuel contracts with the Military they probably would have been bounced out of American Waters years ago."- MikeNV
      
      "I dont give a Good GD how OFFENDED the British People feel about the comments made by any American Citizen. Until a part of your Country is killed by us; keep your feelings to yourself."- Friendlyword
      
      "And the UK better get ready... Obama and the dems ought to be siezing all the BP asssets in this country and pullling a hugo chevez anytime now." - TMMason

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         KFlippinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         A quite good collection of quotes from the Americans here, including myself.  I think Hayward handled himself quite well, watched almost all of the questioning, and too much was odious and ludicrous, that it is happening now (or ever, some of it)  before the spew is plugged, before the investigation is complete, I found it emarrassing as an American.

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2. 72

   thranaxposted 14 years ago

   I thought it was about BP not having a failsafe backup plan?
   
   ~thranax~

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3. 68

   Pearldiverposted 14 years ago

   Didn't a BP Refining Plant blow up in Texas a couple of years ago... due to poor maintenance history?
   And haven't BP polluted 55% of the Niger Delta... due to poor maintenance history along with substandard site security that has allowed pipelines to be breached and left to continuously leak? Or is it only 54% of the area?
   
   There's nothing wrong with being referred to as 'Little People' mate! As a Kiwi.. I remember NZ being called that when we told the US to take it's Nuclear warships out of our waters! Guess when the shoe is on the other foot it's not so complimentary is it?
   Wasn't the FIFA result 1-1 between US - UK.
   
   BP's growth and performance relationships come from the 'Partnerships' that the company forges and services (or doesn't service) with the governments in those regions that BP explores (or destroys)... Perhaps that is why your president is having private meetings with them?
   Why do governments agree to let them drill when clearly they have absolutely no realistic and viable contingency planning.. should problems arise?
   
   Suing them isn't good enough and our Kiwi hearts go out to those who have suffered from this disgusting display of global saboutage. It demonstrates many things if you look at the overall incompetence, ignorance and of course arrogance! (as you point out!).

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4. 59

   logic,commonsenseposted 14 years ago

   Let's teach BP a lesson.  Let's squeeze them til all the shareholders lose their ass, their employee's lose their jobs or lose wages and benefits, and let's make sure that their retirees are hurt so badly that they have to go on the public dole.  That will show the bastards that did not have anything to do with the spill!
   Holding BP responsible for many things is the right thing to do.  Destroying the company and the industry out of vindictiveness serves no one one well.  I have little regard for the executives and managers that made some horrible decisions.  They should be held accountable and face serious consequences for their stupidity.  Let's not compound that stupidity by knee jerk reactions and not thinking what all the possible effects of that kind of reaction will mean.

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   1. 0

      woolman60posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      How much oil has spewed so far? On Day 53 of the worst U.S. oil spill in U.S. history, it's equivalent to:
      
      * Just over 2.5 hours worth of U.S. oil consumption. The United States is the world's biggest oil user, and burns about 20 million barrels a day, or 833,000 barrels an hour. Every 21 days, the BP well spews one hour's worth of U.S. consumption.
      
      * Eight times as much oil as the amount spilled when the Exxon Valdez tanker plowed into a reef in Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989, spilling 257,000 barrels. BP's well spews the equivalent to one Exxon Valdez tanker every 6.4 days.
      
      * About 135 Olympic-sized swimming pools. An Olympic pool holds 15,725 barrels of oil, versus the 2.12 million barrels of oil the well has spewed.
      
      * About 360 million quarts, if the oil was packaged in plastic cans sold at gas stations
      
      
      The British oil giant is worth $75 billion less on the open market than it was when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded six weeks ago. Other companies involved in the spill — Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron — have all lost at least 30 percent in value.
      
      BP will survive, don't you  worry your little heart over it, do you think all they need is a slap on the hand, and we should foot the bill?

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         KFlippinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         "The British oil giant is worth $75 billion less on the open market than it was when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded six weeks ago. Other companies involved in the spill — Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron — have all lost at least 30 percent in value.
         
         BP will survive, don't you  worry your little heart over it, do you think all they need is a slap on the hand, and we should foot the bill?"
         
         And exactly how does it help our cause, cleaning up the spill,  by trashing BP, running down the stock, and at the same time asking for and getting 26% of their now quite reduced capital value committed to a government so-called 3rd party (Currently serving as the “pay czar” of TARP fund banks, Kenneth Fineburg)?  How about one of the Big accounting firms to take fiduciary duty over this money intended for those who are suffering economic loss?  Ha Ha.  Never happen.  Independent third party...how quickly that was tossed aside.

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   2. 59

      JON EWALLposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      hubbers
      When will the mainstream media tell the story why BP was directed to drill in waters 5,000 feet deep by the federal government when BP had already been approved by Louisiana to drill in waters 500 feet deep.
      
      Should an independent investigation be allowed by our government, the results would show that the government must assume some blame as to the safety and dangers in drilling at depths of  500 feet or more.
      
      The loss of oil production because of Obama’s directive will hurt many of the states economies. Some members of Congress and Governors have petioned President Barak Obama to lift the moratorium. President Obama’s handling of the situation shows  his incompetence  and inability to take charge of the problems.
      
      Three days after the accident, world  countries offered help in restraining the oil leak. Government in action also interfered in approving methods needed to control the oil at the surface. Some thirteen days later Obama got involved, Secretary Salazar told the public that ‘’ we have the booth on the throat of BP’’
      
      The president made statements on Tues. in his address to the nation that were not truthful as to the oil industry and  repairing the coast that was damaged by the oil.
      
      The drama continues for many industries and businesses that are being devastated by the accident. Governors of the states are not getting help from the government. The red tape involved is delaying projects to contain the oil from spreading on the sands and inland waterways.

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5. 70

   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   From another angle, BP shares have taken a pounding since the spill.
   Many BP's shares are held by UK pension funds, which puts the poor at risk by BP's falling price.
   We do need to work out how BP is going to continue if it's price drops even further.
   Maybe the UK will need to start buying some BP shares to prop up the company share price?

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      alternate poetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Most of the high level flak is from players working the 'little people' so that they can step in and capitalise on low share prices - but the game has changed a little - Maybe China will buy them up wholesale from under the high roller's nosses

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         Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Maybe China, or maybe someone else. The rumour in the bars here is that QP (Qatar Petroleum) is 'interested'. It's not as if they couldn't afford it.

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   Pearldiverposted 14 years ago

   Perhaps the poor New UK government doesn't have a viable and responsible Contingency Plan either!

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   1. 0

      ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Pearldiver, I am curious.... what does the UK government have to do with this?
      
      Do you mean 'poor' as in financially? As the British financial position is far more stable than the American one, as I recently demonstrated.

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7. 70

   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   I feel sure others would be looking at BP. Despite BP having this enormous problem to solve, it also has a great capacity to earn revenue.

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8. 56

   leebertteaposted 14 years ago

   Yes it's nice that Obama got BP to fork over 20 billion, but where was the administration when the application to run this platform was submitted and waivers were granted?
   
   http://www.fairwarning.org/2010/05/u-s- … act-study/
   
   The government is the one that grants the license for these companies to operate. They are the ones responsible to insure that the platforms are operated in a safe manner and that plans are in place to protect the environment in the event of a mishap. With the horrendous safety record of BP a waiver should never have been granted. This "show trail" by congress  is just a way to make it appear that government serves a useful function and isn't just a group of corrupt, greedy, inept buffoons that have no business representing the interests of the American people

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      alternate poetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It is you all who demand so much oil that new sources MUST be found.

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         leebertteaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, well that is the LIE that we are constantly being fed.
         
         http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/ … es_li.html
         
         The truth is we are drilling in places that present higher risks to the environment because this president, as well as environmental extremists, have forced us to do so.

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         Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         And YOU don't live and prosper thanks to the benefits of a functioning industrialized nation? Think about it for a minute and you'll see you are every bit as 'addicted' to energy as anyone you want to look down your nose at.

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9. 69

   MikeNVposted 14 years ago

   It's hard for people with assets in the mega millions to understand the plight of us "small people".
   
   What the guy said is not only evidence of how out of tough they are... but how little they truly care about the Environment... as if the planet is here soley so they can acquire more material goods.
   
   It's pathetic.
   
   But why is the Media not also hammering on Halliburton?
   
   Halliburton actually caused the Accident and now they will profit from the Cleanup?
   
   -----------------------
   Does a company that both builds oil rigs and cleans up oil spills have any motivation to prevent oil rig disasters?
   
   That's the question some people in business and politics are asking themselves after Halliburton's purchase of an oil clean-up company 10 days before the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and launched the worst oil spill in US history.
   
   Some observers see a conspiracy in the actions of the company once headed by Dick Cheney. Halliburton, which built the cement casing for the Deepwater Horizon's drill, announced its purchase of Houston-based oilfield services company Boots and Coots for $240 million on April 9, just 11 days before the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
   
   According to a report at the Christian Science Monitor Friday, Boots and Coots is now under contract with BP to help with the oil spill. The company "focuses on oil spill prevention and blowout response," CSM reports. Halliburton's purchase is not yet a done deal -- it's still awaiting regulatory approval, though few observers think the purchase won't pass muster.
   
   "[Mergers and acquisitions] in the industrial and oil services sectors is totally normal," writes David Anderson at The Inspired Economist, "but the timing in this case, is not. Boots & Coots sure seems like the perfect company to own if it would soon become necessary to get more involved with some oil disaster.

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10. 74

    raisingmeposted 14 years ago

    A 'friend' from Texas sent this to me via email.  I live on the west coast of Canada.  I did not find this in the least bit funny.  This is, to my mind, no joking matter!
    
    
    Breaking News:
    
    CNN just reported that BP replaced the
    
    oil well cap with a wedding ring, and
    
    it has immediately stopped putting out.
    
    
    
    News at 11................

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11. 59

    KFlippinposted 14 years ago

    None of this would be happening, the spill, the bickering, the back-biting, the death...if we had a functioning Dept. of the Interior.  The more I read, the clearer it is that there were known issues respecting safety of these deep wells that the current Interior Dept and MMS declined to properly investigate, dating back to the early spring of 2009.
    
    While Americans and many people across the globe are surely 'addicted' to oil via their current lifestyle expectations, it is silly rhetoric to charge them/us with guilt for this disaster. 
    
    What plays the biggest part in this tragedy is the addiction of lifetime political Interior department cronies to the perks of rubbing shoulders with Big Oil.  Further, the Obama Admin's Interior Dept. was more concerned about getting back royalties from Big Oil, that from what I've read are huge, to fund the bloated budget, than it was on ensuring that the existing safety protocols in place were adhered to, IMO.

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