Oil Watchdog

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

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We've reported about what's wrong in the secrecy around BP's payments to Kenneth Feinberg and his law firm, which is doling out compensation for BP's devastating oil spill in the Gulf. Monday, though, the Center for Justice and Democracy got deep into the guts of the matter.

Spill Commission Defends Its Top Lawyer

J.M. Broder

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The panel named by President Obama to investigate the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout on Tuesday rejected a call by a consumer activist group for the resignation of its chief counsel, Fred H. Bartlit Jr. The group, Consumer Watchdog, said that the panel should dismiss Mr. Bartlit because his law firm, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, once represented Halliburton, one of the companies involved in drilling the BP well.

Obama Should Stop BP Fund Administrator Feinberg From Giving Chamber Of Commerce Keynote Or Fire Him, Watchdog Says

Carmen Balber

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

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Washington, DC -- Consumer Watchdog asked President Obama to force BP Fund Administrator Kenneth Feinberg to withdraw from a keynote address Wednesday at a Chamber of Commerce group dedicated to eviscerating spill victims’ legal rights, and to fire Feinberg if he refuses.

BP Safety Chief: Big Talk, but What Else?

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

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BP executives can't seriously believe that this time they'll get safety right. The company's penny-pinching "safety be damned" culture is too entrenched to reverse--especially if you put the old vice-president of excuses in charge of the new plan.

Oops, there’s oil on the water after all *(or not)

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.

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 [...]

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: ‘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