Guardian - Obama Administration Approves BP's Return To GOM Oil Bidding Process

[hatrack]

The Obama administration has infuriated environmentalists by giving BP the green light to bid for new drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico. The move – seen as a major step in the company's political rehabilitation as an offshore driller following the Deepwater Horizon accident – was revealed by the head of the US safety regulator after a congressional hearing in Washington.

"They don't have a deeply flawed record offshore," said Michael Bromwich, head of the newly formed Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. "The question is: 'Do you administer the administrative death penalty based on one incident?', and we have concluded that's not appropriate."

Drilling rights are sold off on a regular basis but many believed BP would be ruled out as unsuitable after the gulf well blowout that killed 11 workers and polluted the beaches of southern states. The next sale comes up in December, when more than 8m hectares (20m acres) of offshore rights will come up for grabs.

BP declined to comment, but Friends of the Earth said it was appalled. "Governments should be administering the death penalty to all deepwater drilling rather than waiting for yet more devastating incidents like the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico or in any other part of the world," argued Craig Bennett, director of policy and campaigns at the environmental group.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/16/bp-allowed-back-into-bidding-for-gulf-oil-drilling-rights?newsfeed=true

On edit - fixed headline.

[polichick]

1. BP should NEVER be allowed to operate in this country again - unfuckingbelieveable!

[aquamarina]

2. Unbelievable.

"They don't have a deeply flawed record offshore," said Michael Bromwich, head of the newly formed Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. "The question is: 'Do you administer the administrative death penalty based on one incident?'


Uhh, Yes they do and yes you do.

The leadership in this country is a joke.

[kristopher]

4. The administration is working within a legal and regulatory framework they didn't create

It is very unlikely they could justify to a court the exclusion of BP under the current legal and regulatory framework - which they didn't create. If you want something done, get out there and put environmentally conscious legislators in the Congress and start reversing the present drift towards deregulation.

[ananda]

3. Amazing the power of evil money these days.

It seems to turn most politicians into sycophants and sociopaths.

[saras]

5. The only reason the don't "have a deeply flawed record" is that we have no fucking standards.

[Nihil]

9. And also ...

... that they are not "deeply flawed" when you compare them to the
other oil corporations - Shell, Chevron, Exxon, ...

IF there were standards and IF all companies were held to them
then yes, BP would not be allowed to drill in the Gulf of Mexico
"nature reserve" ... (i.e., nobody would be drilling as nobody
meets anything like a sane environmental standard when they are
doing a job that is basically not environmentally sane!)

:shrug:

[Scuba]

6. Well why not? What could go wrong?

[Dover]

7. I figured as much when Obama went to New Orleans after the spill to eat shrimp.

Mmmmmmmm good. What's a silly little oil spill to these ocean critters and our health?

Oh, and no more need to devein these special Gulf shrimp cuz what would be the point?

[DeSwiss]

8. K&R

"Betrayal is about learning not to idealize external sources." ~Linda Talley

[Javaman]

10. I wonder how much BP promised him in campaign donations? nt