Destruction:
Killing is better than cleaning. An analysis of an oil spill in 2002 off the coast of Spain found that, “of the thousands [of birds] that were cleaned, most died within a few days, and only 600 lived and were able to be released into the wild. According to a British study of the spill, the median lifespan of a bird that was cleaned and released was only seven days.”
BP is using the disaster to distract from another ecological disaster. A 2005 refinery explosion in Texas City, TX released 36,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides and 17,000 pounds of benzene as they tried to replace a faulty doohickey. The details aren’t important, the point is they knew they could avoid public scrutiny by acknowledging the spill while the Deepwater Horizon was still bleeding oil.
Incompetence:
Exxon, Chevron, and BP CEOs all admit their local disaster plans for the Gulf region include provisions for saving walruses. Walruses, of course, do not live anywhere near the Gulf, unless you count…
Rush Limbaugh, who brushes off the oil spill since more oil is spilled every year in Nigeria than in the Gulf. He’s, of course, right. 1.5 tons have been spilled there in the past 50 years, and unlike in America, there are no laws on civil liability, and no accounts set up to compensate victims whose livelihoods have been destroyed. I’m waiting for his explanation on why this makes it okay. On his fourth wife, I suppose he’s an expert on failed drilling attempts.