Oil Watchdog

The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued its final blistering report about BP’s role in the 2005 explosion at the company’s Texas City refinery that killed 15 BP employees and 180 others. Blaming deficiencies "at all levels,” the safety board’s chair Carolyn Merritt blamed cost-cutting by the company and called the worst US industrial accident since 1990 “avoidable” and “the inevitable result of a series of actions by the company.”

Merritt elaborated at a speech yesterday that: "As the investigation unfolded, we were absolutely terrified that such a culture could exist at BP."

BP consistently disregarded safety warnings for three years leading up to the fatal blast, according to the report. “Decisions to cut budgets were made at the highest levels of BP Group despite serious safety deficiencies at Texas City," and  “left the Texas City refinery vulnerable to a catastrophe." BP board members were implicated.   In response to the findings, House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Chair John Dingel said he would hold hearings on BP’s problems, including the breakdown of its oil pipeline in Prudhoe Bay Alaska thi summer.

BP has already paid a fine of $21 million and issued its mea culpa, but the fact is BP cut refinery spending after  safety warnings because it is a petroleum company seeking to maximize its profits.  BP’s recent "green" gasoline pumps  in LA and biodiesel research deal with UC Berkeley aside, the US safety panel’s report should remind the American public BP is not beyond petroleum but has a blood brotherhood with the petroleum economy and will throw safety to the wind when it thinks it can get away with it.