BP's Oil Spill Response Plan Exposed: Lack of Preparedness and Lax Government Oversight

Strategic Insights -

A recent "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" interview with Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) exposed the inadequate oil spill response plans of BP and other major oil companies, revealing a catastrophic lack of preparedness and lax government oversight. The interview, which aired on June 15, 2010, highlighted the identical spill response plans used by BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips, complete with errors such as listing a dead scientist as a contact and discussing walruses in the Gulf when they have not been present for three million years.

Key Takeaways:

  • BP's response plan was found to be virtually identical to those of ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips, with the same language and references to a dead scientist.
  • All four companies have plans to protect walruses in the Gulf from a spill, despite the fact that walruses have not been present in the region for three million years.
  • The companies admitted to not having the capacity to respond to a worst-case scenario, which could involve 250,000 barrels of oil per day.
  • The government's flow rate team estimated that the spill could be moving at a rate of up to 60,000 barrels per day, although BP had previously estimated 250,000 barrels per day.
  • Representative Markey accused BP of trying to limit their liability by providing a low estimate of the spill rate, and stated that the company's numbers were "made up".
  • The interview revealed a pattern of lax government oversight, with the oil companies seemingly coasting by without investing in the necessary technologies to prevent or respond to a major spill.

Statistics:

  • The government's flow rate team estimated that the spill could be moving at a rate of up to 60,000 barrels per day.
  • BP previously estimated a spill rate of 250,000 barrels per day.
  • The accident has resulted in the deaths of 11 people and caused a huge environmental disaster.
  • The spill response plans used by the oil companies were apparently Xeroxed or copied from each other, with significant errors.

Sources:

  • CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" interview with Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), June 15, 2010.
  • Federal News Service, Inc.
  • Copyright 2010 by Federal News Service, Inc.