Oil Watchdog

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The new oil platform fire or explosion in the Gulf of Mexico looks minor in comparison to the BP spill, but there are sure some loud echoes in how it’s being handled. When word first trickled out about Thusday’s platform accident off the Louisiana coast, there were swift assurances from the owner that no oil [...]

BP’s CEO Crisis Lurch (Again)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

"When he abruptly resigned as chief executive of BP PLC [he] left the company in disarray. The giant energy producer was struggling with a legacy of accidents and spills in the U.S." Nope, that's not about the swift booting of Tony Hayward by the BP board on Tuesday. It's from a 2007 Bloomberg story on the last crisis change in leadership at BP.

Hayward’s Golden Parachute Worth $18.5 Mil

Monday, July 26, 2010

Ahead of tomorrow’s anticipated release of BP’s second-quarter financial statements–and of the massive losses–BP is expected to appoint Managing Director Bob Dudley to replace Tony Hayward as CEO during tonight’s board meeting in London. Hayward is rumored to be leaving his post with $18.5 million–the equivalent of a year’s salary and a guaranteed pension. (On [...]

Big Oil’s Boondoggle Machine

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Given the fury directed at BP in Congressional hearings on the Gulf oil spill, you’d think the time was ripe to cut the oil industry’s ridiculous subsidies–amounting to at least $40 billion per decade, according to a well-researched New York Times story over the July 4th weekend. But guess again. The oil industry has kept [...]

Beware BP spin on size record

Thursday, July 1, 2010

7-01-2010 by dugan BP’s devastating oil spill may now be the largest accidental spill in modern history, bigger than the estimated 140 million gallons spewed by the 1979-80 Ixtoc spill off the coast of Mexico, which eventually slimed 170 miles of Texas beaches. It’s smaller only than the deliberate spillage by Iraq into the [...]

Fossil Fuel Fiascos-in-Waiting

Thursday, June 24, 2010

6-24-10 by dugan BP is touting restoral of its robot-damaged "cap" (which looks like a giant hat for the Tin Man) to corral a large fraction of the company’s Gulf oil spill, but is staying as silent as possible about its other big engineering feat–a gravel island it built off the Alaskan coast for [...]

Supporting Oilworkers’ Families

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Consumer Watchdog Joins Group of Advocates in Letter to Rep. Conyers to Assist Families of Deceased Oil Rig Workers 06-23-10 by Khan Consumer Watchdog has joined groups promoting justice and consumer advocates in a letter to Rep. John Conyers (MI) expressing support for a bill introduced in the House that would help families recoup non-economic [...]

Hayward: “not fail safe”

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Hayward: "Blow out preventers…across the world…not fail safe" Liveblog by Khan Hayward tells Rep. Barton that he thinks one of the biggest industry lessons going forward will be to make sure the blow out preventers on these wells are actually "fail safe". Right now, he admits, blow out preventers around the world, not just for [...]

Hayward: ‘No reckless behavior’

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Hayward: "No evidence of reckless behavior" by Khan In response to Rep. Stearns’ (FL) question about whether people were suffering in the Gulf due to BP’s reckless behavior, Hayward responds: "There was no evidence of reckless behavior." Of course, admitting recklessness would exponentially raise BP’s liability in the spill. But he should at least have [...]

Barton’s Non-Apology

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Rep. Barton says some may have "misconstrued" his accusation of a White House "shakedown" and "national tragedy." by Khan Rep. Barton (TX) just took a moment to clear up his "shakedown" comment. Saying he thought BP should be held fully responsible, and should be forced to "make good" on its liabilities, Barton hopes [...]

Pulling the Camera Back

Thursday, June 17, 2010

A SCOTUS hearing? by Khan The hearing so far is coming to resemble a Supreme Court confirmation hearing– When asked for judgment & opinion on specific matters of the Macondo well’s construction (read: when asked about a specific case), Hayward responds that he is "not prepared to speculate" until the ongoing investigations are completed (read: [...]

Hayward’s Raging Ignorance

Thursday, June 17, 2010