Well, That Didn't Take Long - BP Launching PR Blitz, But Top Lobbyist Staying Vague So Far

[hatrack]

BP’s top Washington lobbyist launched an aggressive public relations campaign Monday morning ahead of a slew of congressional hearings and investigations, defending the company’s response to the massive Gulf oil spill while remaining vague over what caused the accident.

In a wide-ranging roundtable with reporters Monday, David Nagel, the company’s executive vice president and top lobbyist, twice dodged a question about whether Capitol Hill investigations serve as a distraction for the shaky efforts to clean up the thousands of barrels of oil spilling into open water each day. “We’re working to prepare for these but it’s not — we have lots and lots of people,” Nagel said. “We’ve got everybody working in the field that we need working in the field. We’ve got some extra folks working on it helping to answer these questions.”

BP, he said, is “absolutely focused on the response” and is trying to mitigate environmental and economic damage. “At the same time we want to be fully transparent and cooperate fully with the government,” Nagel said. P is girding for a month of grilling on Capitol Hill, and Nagel seemed to set the table for how the embattled oil company is going to respond to the congressional spotlight.

In most cases, they’ll appear that they will stay vague. The cause of the spill? “There are investigations that are ongoing I just won’t speak to that,” Nagel said. Their view on legislation that would raise the liability cap from $75 million to $10 billion? It’s “not where our head is at.” They are focused on the cleanup and mitigating economic impact, he said.

EDIT

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37023.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. "bullshit"...oops..that was me sneezing...really.....

[ladjf]

2. Only in our "lunatic world" would a dangerous , criminal operation

such as BP still be allowed to do business. Their execs should already be in custody, without bond,
awaiting their trials for acts of mass destruction against humans and the environment.

[phantom power]

3. If I see any more ads with dancing baby elephants I'm going to shoot somebody in the face.

Just saying.

[Javaman]

4. Are we really surprised?

Color me the Cynic on the spill...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8264000

"Be prepared now for the excess spin and rebranding of BP, followed by a paltry amount of "good will" in the example of "helping out the fishermen" in some vein.

Then as the story is shuffled out of the headlines, the "good will" will vanish, the PR machine will go into overdrive using thinly based "evidence" that BP is "fixing" things in the gulf."

[hatrack]

5. All they have to do is wait . . .

The good news for BP (so to speak) is that much of the flow is sub-surface. Much of the oil leaving the pipe emulsifies relatively quickly with seawater, given the cold and pressure, then spreads out in the water column. Much of it will never reach the surface, but will have substantial negative impacts on the food chain that aren't immediately visible.

So, once the well is capped (August? September?), the problem will have been "solved" and we can return to our regularly scheduled distractions. My money's on the lacrosse player murder, though Tiger Woods may still be performing yeoman work for cable news.

Once that's done, BP will lawyer up and appeal for 30 years until most of those directly hurt by the disaster are dead or have moved.