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Saturday, May 01, 2010

Remember This the Next Time You Smile at All Those Pretty Windmills and Sunflowers in a Greenwashing Ad for the Greedy Assholes of BP

Government Accountability Project
[T]he Coast Guard announced today that oil is leaking from the Deepwater Horizon well at the rate of 5000 barrels a day, not 1000 a day as previously announced. Scientists from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration also announced that oil spill may reach the coast of Louisiana as soon as tomorrow night, and they are considering more urgent measures to protect wildlife. BP argued that the oil spill is stable and has actually moved farther away from the Louisiana coast over the past 24 hours.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the well lacked a remote-control shut-off switch that is required by Brazil and Norway, two other major oil-producing nations. The switch, a back-up measure to shut off oil flow, would allow a crew to remotely shut off the well even if a rig was damaged or sunken. BP said it couldn't explain why its primary shut-off measures did not work.

U.S. regulators considered requiring the mechanism several years ago. They decided against the measure when drilling companies protested, saying the cost was too high…

[T]he Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that BP argued against stricter safety regulations for the oil industry in letters to the Minerals Management Service last year. BP joined with several other oil producers to say that current voluntary safety rules are sufficient. BP's Vice President for Gulf of Mexico Production wrote: "We believe the industry's current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs..have been and continue to be very successful."

Emphases added.--d

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