BP’s “Transparency” is simply Bullshitting People

Much of this article was assembled from multiple web sources and links (cut-n-paste them) to corresponding stories in an attempt to put some of the puzzle pieces together and allow us all to quickly see the truth in BP’s handling of the BP Deepwater Horizons oil gusher and the “initiatives” of the Obama administration.

They’re simply not listening. Many believe there’s a lot more being covered up by both parties as they continue their respective agendas--and unfortunately their agendas do not include, “We the people…”

At the end of this article I’ve included BP’s contact information on multiple fronts so those readers so inclined may legally express their “transparency”.

From (www.bp.com), “BP today reiterated its pledge to be open and transparent in its response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” “We are committed to providing the American people with the information they need to understand the environmental impact from the spill and the response steps that have been taken," said BP's chief executive Tony Hayward.

This is the same guy who a week or so ago said the environmental aspects from this spill would be “very, very moderate”!

Yes, Tony—the loss of eleven lives, the physical scarring of those burned in the blaze as they jumped for their lives; along with the psychological scarring of all those on the platform when it exploded in multiple blasts—is all reduced to “moderate” in your corporate mind. It’s “all about the company and shareholders” in your world.

Has BP or the U.S. administration stopped to think that some of BP’s shareholders are some of the people who elected our current President?

When one takes the time to assemble BP’s shoddy PR, versus what’s actually being done to stop the flow and clean-up the goo, the insensitive nature of Mr. Hayward, BP PLC, the Obama Administration and the corporate world is…transparent.

Excerpts from…..
Deepwater Horizon Response http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/
“The Unified Area Command for the Deepwater Horizon/BP Response announces it will not use hair boom in its response efforts. Individuals and organizations are asked to discontinue the collection of hair for the hair boom.” “Our priority when cleaning up an oil spill is to find the most efficient and expedient way to remove the oil from the affected area while causing no additional damage.

Yet BP refuses EPA order to switch to less-toxic oil dispersant http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100523,0,907236.story

As President Obama, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security and countless others voice their “we doing everything in our power”, it seems that Washington is impotent.

OBAMA POLITELY ASKS FOR COOPERATION WHILE BP RULES SPILL ZONE WITH IRON FIST
http://trueslant.com/allisonkilkenny/2010/05/22/obama-politely-asks-for-cooperation-while-bp-rules-spill-zone-with-iron-fist/

The writer of that article sees the transparency saying, “Judging by the government’s handling of the spill zone, I’d be hard pressed to tell you who is in charge of the country right now. BP has stifled the freedom of the press, given the finger to the EPA, and will not be forced to testify in Obama’s shiny, new commission…”

The article goes on to quote multiple people from the media who have been “run-off” from covering this story both on land and sea stating, “BP has quartered off the Louisiana coast like an army in a war zone, and has shaken off any attempt by the government to control their response to the environmental disaster.”

In trying to find out “who is in charge of the country right now”, I found Sylvia V. Baca, a senior public and private sector manager in energy and environmental policy and programs, who was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on June 18, 2009. An appointment did not require Senate confirmation.

Her resume is “all BP”.

“Baca had been general manager for Social Investment Programs and Strategic Partnerships at BP America Inc. in Houston, and had held several senior management positions with the company since 2001. She was also Director of Global Health, Safety, Environment & Emergency Response for BP Shipping Ltd. in London.”

From her DOI web page: “As vice president for Health, Safety and Environment, BP North America in Los Angeles, Baca served as policy advisor on environmental initiatives, such as climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, land restoration and air and water programs focusing on environmental initiatives, overseeing cooperative projects with private and public organizations, developing health, safety, and emergency response programs and working on climate change…”

To read more on Ms. Baca go to her DOI webpage http://www.doi.gov/archive/bio/baca_bio.html.

This promise of transparency is the same promise made by President Obama during his campaign and reiterated in multiple speeches since his moving into the White House.

For many of us, Obama’s buzz words were understood, yet for the majority of Americans—who supposedly voted for him--the transparency is becoming apparent—he’s running his agenda while not listening to or saying anything to, the press or the American people—be it healthcare, immigration, the environment or his attitude.

It’s time for the American public to also be as transparent as possible and express themselves as we legally have the rights to do so. While I’m not suggesting looking to the streets of Greece or Thailand for suggestion, I am saying it’s time for US, the citizens of the U.S. to express our displeasure with BP and their mishandling of securing their ever so valuable well.

Perhaps informational pickets from public access around BP stores and facilities reminding BP customers and shareholders about those who died and/or were on the platform are in order.

Perhaps it’s time for BP representatives to be met by local fishermen on the docks as they traverse from the oil inundated areas and the blast site.

Or perhaps it’s just time to voice our opinions to BP until they admit we’ve been heard.

Here are some of the ways I’ve been able to express my transparency with BP. I do hope their phones ring true with our concerns and their voicemails and email inboxes be chock-full of our feelings of disgust in their handling of their mess.

Twitter: Oil_Spill_2010 follow @Oil_Spill_2010

Facebook:
Deepwater Horizon Response
http://www.facebook.com/DeepwaterHorizonResponse?ref=ts

BP America Press Office:
+1 281 366 0265

BP Press Office London:
+44 20 7496 4076
BP Investor Relations: +1-281-366-4937

Claims: +1 800 440 0858
www.bp.com/claims

Media and government inquiries:
+1 985 902 5231 or +1 985 902 5240

People interested in “volunteering” can call 866-448-5816

Call early and email often, but remember we live in a different age now so word your thoughts carefully to avoid looking insensitive, as BP’s Tony Hayward and the corporation has shown themselves to be.

Bad Planning, Bad Performance, it’s not just BP...

...our government is also guilty!

The world has watched the environmental horror as the BP oil geyser has continued to gush black gold into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20th.

Of course as in any major disaster, there was the initial shock of “it” happening as heroic crews rushed to the scene in search of survivors and to douse the raging inferno—much like we saw on 9/11.

We then witnessed BP’s limp corporate response, most likely due to them wrangling with the “financial liability issues” and waiting to see what the U.S. government was going to do.

BP’s response—finger pointing and denial of ownership of the oil rig and blowout preventor—finger pointing which continued into hearings on Capitol Hill on May 11th.

Of course the Obama administration responded—and much like past governmental responses it was too little, too late--with the administration rolling out it’s department heads a little over a week after the event to deliver a reiterated and very prepared quote.

Homeland Security chief, Janet Napolitano told Meet the Press that The White House knew "from day one that this could be a catastrophic failure,” and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar emphasized the same talking point on the same Sunday as a guest on State of the Union saying, “From day one there was the presumption of worst-case scenario”.

“From day one…” It kind of has that, “You’re doing a fine job, Brownie,” ring to it, doesn’t it?

If in fact, “from day one” our leadership “presumed” or “knew” of the magnitude of the BP oil spill, why wasn’t the "In-Situ Burn" plan--a plan produced by federal agencies in 1994 that calls for responding to a major oil spill in the Gulf with the immediate use of fire booms—activated?

Because once again, just like on 9/11, post hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Ike, the recent flooding in Tennessee and just about every other disaster to have hit the U.S.--the federal government was caught flat-footed—unprepared--and that’s the proven truth to our nation’s ability to respond to disasters.

Americans have been told to prepare and to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours since the 9/11 terrorist attacks; yet the government has failed to respond within that time frame to any disaster since--either natural or man-made.

The agency responsible for responding to the BP oil spill did not have a federally required fire boom and it took U.S. officials eight days to locate the sole unit in the country before getting it delivered and conducting a test burn in the Gulf.

Former NOAA oil spill response coordinator Ron Gouguet --who helped draft the 1994 plan --said that officials had pre-approval for burning. "The whole reason the plan was created was so we could pull the trigger right away."

Our leadership, with their multi-paged preparedness plans replete with hierarchy and flow charts has proven their ability to do nothing more than create barriers to immediate and direct response in the event of any disaster.

Perhaps in the early days of the BP blowout, the DHS chief and Interior Secretary could have FedEx’d the printed federal oil spill response plan to Louisiana so as to be laid upon the Gulf—allowing the document to soak up the first few thousand gallons of oil that escaped to the surface.

The reality is, is disaster response requires money--and there is none.

My statement was reinforced on May 11th--just three weeks before the beginning of what some experts are predicting to be an active hurricane season--with a preemptive warning of sorts from FEMA.

It seems that this year's numerous disasters have tapped the Federal Emergency Management Agency dry.
The House agreed March 24 to give the agency an extra $5.1 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. But the Senate has failed to act--despite recent flooding in Tennessee.
Sixteen states experienced a combined 18 disasters this year before the House voted to give FEMA the extra funding.

Since then, major disasters have been declared for winter storms or flooding in Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Connecticut, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Maryland.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said while visiting Tennessee on last Thursday that "there's an urgency" to approving the funding and said the agency could respond to emergencies as they occur but couldn't help rebuild afterward.

Record flooding in early May in Nashville killed at least 20 people and caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damage.
"We are not going to be delayed in helping individuals in the emergency response costs," Fugate said. "But as this flood is going to show, we already have almost $1 billion in outstanding projects from previous disasters that we cannot move forward on."

FEMA is still paying for disasters dating to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For example, the agency is still rebuilding schools in New Orleans, and an arbitration panel ruled in January that the agency must pay $474 million to rebuild Charity Hospital.

"While we can meet the immediate needs of survivors in these declared disasters, and we can support state and local government in the immediate response, we do not have the ability now to fund permanent work," Fugate said. "And that's going to be a key factor in this recovery as well as previous disasters going all the way back to Katrina."

Based on the historical data and supported by the fact that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” a disaster will strike, today more than ever, if you’re not putting a personal preparedness plan in place, you’re “BP”.

FEMA’s recent statements practically insure there’s no tractor trailers full of water, food, blue tarps, generators and all the other “free” things hurricane victims seem to love to stand in line for while awaiting deployment at first light after landfall.

While the government has a written preparedness plan, part of that plan is an initial assessment or as I called it earlier, the hand-wringing. The secondary phase of the plan includes amassing equipment and personnel, and that takes money—and we’ve been warned softly—there’s none left, but it might be in the pipeline to being approved.

Now would be a good time to check and make sure you have what your family needs and begin preparing yourselves for this year’s hurricane season.

My suggestion is to plan on surviving without federal help for a minimum of seven days-- or more. That’s depending on how long it takes the Secretarys, Assistant Secretarys, Chiefs and their staff to realize that real people with real lives are hanging in the balance of FEMA’s checkbook and their ability to make a decesion on when they’ll deploy after the winds and tides subside.

For those of you who wish to plan and would like suggestions, our preparedness guide, What To Do til the Cavalry Comes: A Family Guide to Preparedness in 21st Century America is online--FREE. No credit card or personal info required.

What To Do… is endorsed by Mississippi’s Lt. Governor, Phil Bryant and co-authored with three-time Pentagon appointee, Thomas Van Hare. Each chapter is formatted with suggestions and checklists to help you establish a personal family preparedness plan that will work for you.

Email me, Matt@mattlawrencebooks.com and I’ll send you the direct link so you can read it online, full screen, in it’s entirity—thanks to a service provided by fREADo.com.