Emails expose BP's attempts to control research into impact of Gulf oil spill

[Catz Part Deux]

Emails expose BP's attempts to control research into impact of Gulf oil spill | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP officials tried to take control of a $500m fund pledged by the oil company for independent research into the consequences of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, it has emerged.

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show BP officials openly discussing how to influence the work of scientists supported by the fund, which was created by the oil company in May last year.

Russell Putt, a BP environmental expert, wrote in an email to colleagues on 24 June 2010: "Can we 'direct' GRI [Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative] funding to a specific study (as we now see the governor's offices trying to do)? What influence do we have over the vessels/equipment driving the studies vs the questions?".

The email was obtained by Greenpeace and shared with the Guardian.

The documents are expected to reinforce fears voiced by scientists that BP has too much leverage over studies into the impact of last year's oil disaster.

Shockers.

Article also notes that the Obama white house attempted to downplay the effects of the oil spill in the gulf and was sharply rebuked by the director of NOAA. NOAA, whose budget was on the chopping block this month, remember them? I wonder why NOAA has been singled out for the budget axe?

On the gulf coast, we know them well, their work is tremendously important, to all of us, during hurricane season. But, of course, they've also been responsible for reporting inconvenient truths about the gulf oil spill and its residual effects...

 

[Demon of Light]

Emails expose BP's attempts to control research into impact of Gulf oil spill | Environment | guardian.co.uk



Shockers.

Article also notes that the Obama white house attempted to downplay the effects of the oil spill in the gulf and was sharply rebuked by the director of NOAA. NOAA, whose budget was on the chopping block this month, remember them? I wonder why NOAA has been singled out for the budget axe?

On the gulf coast, we know them well, their work is tremendously important, to all of us, during hurricane season. But, of course, they've also been responsible for reporting inconvenient truths about the gulf oil spill and its residual effects...

I believe there were reports indicating BP's attempts to sway research into the gulf spill only a few months after it happened. This would just seem to provide proof of these allegations. Honestly, I am not even remotely surprised.

 

[GPS_Flex]

Taking a page right out of the old IPCC playbook I see. Can't say it's a surprise though.

 

[lpast]

Why would anyone be surprised that a Big Corporation would lie cheat coverup any wrongdoing that they may be responsible for and may cost them cash. Thats standard operating procedure and when they get caught doing it they get a pat on the arse and everyone giggles.

 

[Middleground]

Not shocking. I read a comment in another thread where someone pretty much wrote that things are back to normal in the Gulf. Not sure it was wishful thinking on his part, or he's a victim of propaganda. In any event, I think even those that are jaded (like me) would be shocked to know the truth behind other damages done to our environment by big business. Seems to be the norm these days.

 

[apdst]

Not shocking. I read a comment in another thread where someone pretty much wrote that things are back to normal in the Gulf. Not sure it was wishful thinking on his part, or he's a victim of propaganda. In any event, I think even those that are jaded (like me) would be shocked to know the truth behind other damages done to our environment by big business. Seems to be the norm these days.

I bought five dozen crabs in Venice, Louisiana last week, that came out of the GOM and I didn't taste any oil.

While there is obviously some damage in the GOM, it's no-where near the apocolyptic picture that some would have us believe.

 

[Middleground]

I bought five dozen crabs in Venice, Louisiana last week, that came out of the GOM and I didn't taste any oil.

While there is obviously some damage in the GOM, it's no-where near the apocolyptic picture that some would have us believe.

Funny thing, E. coli can kill you, but yet, you can't taste it in your food. So I don't understand your logic. And I'm not saying that eating some crab caught in waters that sustained incredible amounts of oil pollution will kill you, but I'd think twice of making that a continued practice.

 

[The Prof]

interior's inspector general found that the white house rewrote for political purposes an independent report it presented as "peer reviewed" by a panel of engineers

Interior inspector general: White House skewed drilling-ban report - Dan Berman - POLITICO.com

obama's own spill panel reported the administration misled the public, creating the impression it was "not fully competent or not fully candid"

Public misled on spill, panel says- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

the washington post uncovered that the white house exempted bp's deepwater horizon from requisite environmental impact studies

U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study

obama is the top recipient of bp cash

Obama biggest recipient of BP cash - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

 

[rocket88]

You know, I haven't seen the sun this morning because of the clouds. Is that the corporations' fault or Obama's?

 

[BmanMcfly]

OP : Can you really say you're surprised that this would be attempted?

Why would anyone be surprised that a Big Corporation would lie cheat coverup any wrongdoing that they may be responsible for and may cost them cash. Thats standard operating procedure and when they get caught doing it they get a pat on the arse and everyone giggles.

That's a conspiracy theory, everybody knows that humans have evolved beyond the capacity to conspire back in '86.

 

[digsbe]

The sad truth is that many scientists are influenced by politics and money. This is why I don't trust anything unless I can read the primary research article and examine their methods and rationale for their results. Science is becoming more political. It's becoming less and less a pursuit of fact and more and more a service that tells people what they want to hear with the "science" label on it. Shame on BP though.

 

[MaggieD]

I bought five dozen crabs in Venice, Louisiana last week, that came out of the GOM and I didn't taste any oil.

While there is obviously some damage in the GOM, it's no-where near the apocolyptic picture that some would have us believe.

I'm not sure that whether or not you tasted any oil in your five dozen crabs allows you to reach a definitive conclusion. If we are arrogant enough to believe that spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf isn't a disaster of epic proportion, we may just see Mother Nature give us a much stronger message.

 

[Temporal]

I have a friend doing recovery work in the Gulf right now. It's a gong show down there, and he isn't even allowed to take pictures. There is a press black out, and now we are seeing sanctioned research projects.

When does the corruption end??

 

[ManofthPeephole]

I believe there were reports indicating BP's attempts to sway research into the gulf spill only a few months after it happened. This would just seem to provide proof of these allegations. Honestly, I am not even remotely surprised.

Yeah, I would find it more surprising if they didn't

 

[apdst]

I'm not sure that whether or not you tasted any oil in your five dozen crabs allows you to reach a definitive conclusion. If we are arrogant enough to believe that spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf isn't a disaster of epic proportion, we may just see Mother Nature give us a much stronger message.

There are hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil leaked, naturally, into our oceans every year and it hasn't been a signal of doom, yet.

 

[apdst]

I have a friend doing recovery work in the Gulf right now. It's a gong show down there, and he isn't even allowed to take pictures. There is a press black out, and now we are seeing sanctioned research projects.

When does the corruption end??

Where is your friend working?

 

[ManofthPeephole]

There are hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil leaked, naturally, into our oceans every year and it hasn't been a signal of doom, yet.

the problem is that such sills are not usually so concentrated.

Surely I think "doom" is a bit over doing it, but I still wouldn't eat the sea food for a bit

 

[apdst]

the problem is that such sills are not usually so concentrated.

Surely I think "doom" is a bit over doing it, but I still wouldn't eat the sea food for a bit

I eat it all the time and haven't had any problems.

 

[Manc Skipper]

There are 400 natural oil seeps in the Gulf, with local bacteria evolved to eat it. Bet those bacteria are stuffed, and breeding like mad. Catastrophic as it was, we are talking in the order of 150 olympic swimming pools worth of oil being released into a one billion pool sized sea.

 

[MaggieD]

There are hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil leaked, naturally, into our oceans every year and it hasn't been a signal of doom, yet.

If we had an oil spill that released 200 billion gallons of oil into the Gulf, would that be an ecological disaster? If your answer, "For Christ's sake, of course it would be," then you admit that enough oil into the Gulf would be an ecological tragedy.

So. How much is too much???? And how do we know until it is too late?

 

[Jetboogieman]

But, but. The private sector can regulate itself right...

 

[apdst]

If we had an oil spill that released 200 billion gallons of oil into the Gulf, would that be an ecological disaster? If your answer, "For Christ's sake, of course it would be," then you admit that enough oil into the Gulf would be an ecological tragedy.

So. How much is too much???? And how do we know until it is too late?

Did we have 200 billion gallons spil into the GOM? We didn't. Did we? When we do, you be sure and shoot me an email and let me know.

 

[apdst]

But, but. The private sector can regulate itself right...

It was private sector engineers that said not to spray water on the fire, because it would cause the rig to sink and cause a spill.

What did the government do? They sprayed water on the fire, causing the rig to sink and cause a spill.

 

[Jetboogieman]

It was private sector engineers that said not to spray water on the fire, because it would cause the rig to sink and cause a spill.

What did the government do? They sprayed water on the fire, causing the rig to sink and cause a spill.

This isn't about engineers and government mistakes, this is about corporation ethics, try again...

 

[apdst]

This isn't about engineers and government mistakes, this is about corporation ethics, try again...

Whoever said anything about no government regulation? I believe I speak for most on the right, when I say that we oppose too much government regulation.

You insist that the government protect us from the evil corporations, but you still can't tell us whose going to protect us from the government, when it's ethics go down the crapper.

Here is a perfect example.

Video: EPA not scoring regulatory impact on jobs « Hot Air

The EPA doesn't have the first damn clue what effect their regulations have one jobs and what's worse is, they don't even give a ****.