If BP cannot be trusted to get the job done, then who do we expect to get the job done?

There are many governments that criticism of how BP addresses the oil spill! But few who contribute to a solution!
Hopefully everyone learns from this disaster in the future so that there will be better solutions for such problems in the future.

Of course we can better avoid such problems by improving prevention measures in the future.
That is not only the job of BP but of the entire oil industry and governments around the world.
For it is not just the oil industry that makes a profit in connection with the fuel consumption but also the government in the form of tax.

Bye bye from Belgium

I don't understand why the other majors such as shell and exxonmobil are not helping. Isn't this contrary to their csr campaigns?

Since BP has taken over a month to try and fix the problem and failed, it is up to third parties to come in and clean up there disaster. BP should be fined severly and forced to pay for clean up. You can not put a price on the safety of people and wildlife. What will happen when region specific animal numbers start to dwindle?

For decades Republican lawmakers in Louisiana have placed Big Oil's special interests above those of commercial fishery's and the environment. Public schools receiving a small portion of the Big Oil payoff to the State of Louisiana proudly display Oil Derricks shooting Oil out of the top with the words, 'OILERS' on them.

Sadly when Republican's special interests are placed far and away above the needs and common sense of those they have given their 'oath and promise' to serve, those under the Republican lawmakers thumbs suffer and Louisiana is greatly suffering now as a result.

The Hero and Darling of the Republican Party, former President George W. Bush speaking before an audience of entranced ardent Republican boosters and Tea potty neo-cons at the Dallas Convention Center today who had gathered at the American Wind Energy Association meeting stated, 'It's in our economic interests that we diversify AWAY from oil' and 'It's in our environmental interest'. The former Texas Oilman and member of a longtime Oil family finished his speech stating 'It's in our national security interest'.

The Republican party now has their marching orders. Perhaps they'll stop bashing former Vice President Al Gore over his insistence for America to move away from Oil for the past 20 years.

The MAJORITY in America expects the Republican party lawmakers, leaders and members to now follow your Hero's advice and help move America AWAY from Oil.

It seems during the horrific Republican administration of Bush-Cheney was much more than simply a cozy relationship existing between Federal inspectors and regulators and those that awarded Billion dollar leases with Big Oil.

Investigations found what appears to be rampant corruption, found it again in 2007 and again when a followup investigation was ordered by the beginning Democratic administration of Obama-Biden in 2009, go figure!

Under the Bush-Cheney encouragement and Big Oil Watch, the federal agency officials routinely accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and even used government computers to view pornography on the taxpayers dime!

The current Obama ordered Federal Investigator General report follows a 2007 investigation that revealed what then-Inspector General Earl Devaney called a "culture of ethical failure" and conflicts of interest at the minerals agency.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Salazar said several employees cited in the report have resigned, were fired or were referred for prosecution. Actions may be taken against others as warranted, he said. Salazar said he has asked the Inspector General to expand the investigation to look into agency actions since he took office in January 2009.

Democratic members of Congress and President Barack Obama have both criticized what they call the cozy relationship between Republican party placed regulators and Republican friends and former Republican lawmakers in major oil companies and have vowed to reform MMS, which both regulates the industry and also collects billions in royalties from it.

In one case, a Republican placed Federal Inspector was inspecting a Big Oil firm AT THE SAME TIME he was interviewing for a future job with THAT SAME BIG OIL COMPANY!!!

Just when you might think the Republican Party couldn't sink any lower into the toxic morass of their own making, they have a federal taxpayer salaried Federal Inspector that is 'inspecting' a Big Oil company at the same time that same Federal Inspector is being interviewed for a job with that same company! Wow, talking about CORRUPTION!!!

Why I feel Interior Secretary Ken Salazar needs to utterly clear out many of the Mines and Mineral Federal employees hired under the Bush-Cheney friends of Big Oil administration who are now causing problems to the Obama Administration and to the welfare of America:

The Federal Minerals Management Service had approved BP’s drilling plan in the Gulf of Mexico without any environmental review!!!

The Federal agency was able to do this using a loophole in the National Environmental Policy Act created for minimally intrusive actions like building outhouses and hiking trails.

When any Federal agency is going to approve a project, it has to go through an environmental review. But for projects that have very little impact like building an outhouse or a hiking trail, they can use what is called a categorical exclusion and say there’s no impact here at all so we don’t need to spend energy or time doing a review. Looking at the oil drilling permits being issued by the Minerals Management Service in the Gulf, you would be shocked to find out that they were approving hundreds of massive oil drilling permits using this categorical exclusion instead of doing a full environmental impact study. And lo and behold, the very BP’s drilling permit (the very one that exploded, and is gushing in the Gulf of Mexico) was done under this loophole and never reviewed by the federal government at all.

It was just rubber-stamped!!!

NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY WAS DONE!

PB which is very much involved in most of the wold off shore oil exploration was in charge of this oil exploration, and should be held responsible for stopping it also. The thing is originally when this oil Riggs was drilled PB dint install a safety gadget that will stop the oil flow in case of an exploration or some thing happen to the oil supply. At least another underground supply line so that the flushing oil and the gas can be De-directed continuously to another safety collecting point.

The thing is such a new safety adjustment such as suggested above should be considered in future to all offshore oil exploration considering the amount of oil damage to the environment that is happening around the world today.

WHY CAN'T BP OR THE GOVERNMENT USE AN EMPTY OIL TANKER AND PARK IT JUST OFF THE LEAK AND PUMP THE OIL INTO THE TANKER. WE CAN PUT A MAN ON THE MOON, BUT WE FORGOT HOW TO THINK WITH OUT THE HELP OF COMPUTERS.

Wow ! Mrs. Hala Gorani looks LOVELY today !
She has a very nice skirt and legs... mmmm 🙂
You are so beautiful woman Hala !
Im sad that I cant go out with you for at least one evening 😐

All the best Hala 🙂
viewer from Poland 🙂

You should check out the BP headquarters in Texas City where they have a history of safety violations and a major explosion which killed 15 and injured almost 200. All of the sudden it is decked out in American flags – on the building; on the sidewalks. Who do they think they are fooling?

For decades, residents of Mossville, Louisiana, have said toxic chemicals in the air, soil and water have been making them sick. And for just as long, they say, Republican packed government agencies have done next to nothing to protect them. CNN investigates this town with 14 Petrol-Chemical plants that spew tons of cancer-causing chemicals and other toxic substances into the air. Watch the upcoming CNN special investigation to see how this once rural Louisiana community became overrun with toxins and how the residents now fear for their health.

For as many decades Republican lawmakers in Louisiana have placed Big Oil's special interests above those of commercial fishery's and the environment. Public schools receiving a small portion of the Big Oil payoff to the State of Louisiana proudly display Oil Derricks shooting Oil out of the top with the words, 'OILERS' on them.

Sadly when Republican's special interests are placed far and away above the needs and common sense of those they have given their 'oath and promise' to serve, those under the Republican lawmakers thumbs suffer and Louisiana is greatly suffering now as a result.

Bp should try to freeze the pipe to be able to stop the spill so their technical people work on that .If the Idea work Bp should pay 250.000.000usd to buy food for people in africa who are in need.

I have following BP's handling of this oildisaster. It want be easy to stop it in the way they try to do. I wonder if a big and strong magnetic where plased on top where oil flowing. This idea might look crasy, but together with other sourses it could help to stop the oilspil. I feel the sadnes the people of Luisiana feels. We have also experienced oilleaks from ships outside Norways costline from time to time. Good luck in the future. Best regards Robert William Groedem from Stavanger in Norway.

ENOUGH OF THE OIL SPILL ALREADY. ISRAEL HAS JUST KILLED 3 UNARMED CIVILIANS ABOARD THE TURKISH AID TO GAZA SHIP. SHOW US WHAT'S GOING ON!!!

Livestream video of wounded from the ship now! http://www.livestream.com/insaniyardim

I don t no howe to contact the right people but i think to have the solution for the oilcatastrofe if you make a thing that likes on a speer and ad the point you make a hole and whitin you make a pipe and ad the edge of the speer you can make a ring whit holes in it and above that you can make a bigger pipe to floane the oil
mayb you now hwe to contact the right people thanks it was only an solution i think

In seeing these videos of the incident on the Flotilla, in my opinion, it is absolutely obvious that Israel and the Jewish people have absolutely, totally forgotten their history. Israel and the Jewish people should remember what happened to them on the 9th of November 1938 in Germany. By these new videos, it is very clear that Israel treats other lands and cultures in exactly the same way with the same indignity and forcefulness as they were treated by the Nazis in the past. Israel and the Jewish people cannot anymore complain or say anything at all about how they were treated by the Nazis when they do exactly the same to other people now. It was absolutely wrong that the Jewish people were massacred by the Nazis, but if the Jewish people acted the same way in the past as they are behaving today without respect or dignity to other people, maybe this is why Hitler decided to do what he did. Israel and all the Jewish people must learn to treat ALL lands and cultures with respect, dignity, and freedom, as all the Jewish people want to be treated, regardless of the difference of beliefs and cultures. We on Earth are all normal Human beings, worthy of respect, dignity, and freedom, regardless of which country we come from. Israel must Finally learn this.

I find it very troubling how swiftly the alleged Israeli Commando's hit list was published on various Internet websites which shows the photos and names of the Gaza Peace Food flotilla organizers who were civilian passengers that were apparently murdered.

It is plausible and possible for a Islamic extremist organization to obtain the photos and names of those involved given several weeks or a month AFTER the incident took place. HOWEVER it is extremely unlikely this document would be created when it was utterly unknown who and how many were killed. And this alleged hit list said to have been taken from one of the Israeli Commando's during the midnight raid surfaced almost immediately.

I find it very troubling and feel that a line has been crossed by Israel which is utterly and totally condemnable.

Perhaps this will further pressure Interpol to charge those Israeli's responsible with International criminal charges.

Perhaps this will pressure Turkey to rethink its open door policy with America in allowing enormous US Military supplies to travel thru Turkey and Turkey's future relationship with Israel.

This Israeli Commando midnight raid on a civilian flotilla in International Waters could force America to redirect Israel or face a significant chill in American and Israeli relations.

Autopsy's in Turkey on the 9 dead peace protesters brought there indicated 5 were executed by single shots to the head, one was a mere 2 centimeters between the machine gun muzzle to the skull of the victim.

One of the survivors stated hundreds of Israeli sailors attempted a zodiac assault raft attack to board the vessels which failed.

The Israeli's then fired hundreds of paint balls with glass shards inside of them which produced horrific soft flesh wounds.

Then the Israeli Commando's used helicopters to rappel down on the ships in the darkness, they were carrying M4 machine guns with a M203 Grenade launcher which they used to rake the decks and people with lethal 5.56mm rifle rounds.

Estimates are some 50 were wounded, 10 killed, 5 of the dead died from a single shot to the head, an American citizen was shot in the head and multiple places on his body as well among the dead.

Another American was shot in the face by a Israeli Commando's M4 Machine Gun using the M203 Grenade launcher to fire a tear gas canister right into his face. He lost his eye, but not his life.

The Turkish medical forensic examiners have indicated the unarmed American citizen on board the French flagged Gaza Food and Medical supply peace flotilla that was executed was shot 4 times in the head at multiple angles, behind the head, in the forehead and in the temple at extremely close range, (point blank) by the Israeli Commando's.

This execution of a American Citizen by Israeli Commando's appears to be identical to mobsters with a grudge who shoot their victim multiple times in the face at close range to 'make them ugly'. The resulting carnage is so extreme, it guarantees the victim is buried in a closed casket without being viewed by the family and friends.

It's really sad that the brutal execution of an American civilian citizen by the Israeli Commando's has been swept under the carpet by the News Media. The American people know the Israeli claim of self-defense is a outrageous lie, this was a act of terrorism.

Be All You Can Be in a Republican Dream Vacation of a lifetime on the Coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle!

Imagine breathing in the smell of progress (crude oil) as you relax in your hotel and villas! View the world's largest dead zone in the entire world everyday of your vacation! The EPA promises, your children are entirely safe as they swim in the toxic, poisonous and carcinogenic waters lapping up on the shoreline. Enjoy the sounds of silence from the absence of the frogs, pelicans and seagulls!

Admiral Thad Allen has personally tasted the very food you'll be eating, and he vouches for it's safety! Every visitor that books their gulf coast vacation can receive a complimentary tar ball! Imagine being the first on your block with a Gulf Region tar ball!

Be all you can be with this Republican Dream vacation and remember thanks entirely to the GOP there's plenty of crude Oil to go around the entire State of Florida!

Re BP bashing.
I am pleased to hear president obama will meet families of the men killed in the disaster and I feel it would be a nice time to meet the families of the victims of the 167 killed in the North Sea explosion in 1988, also the families of the thousands of victims of the Bopal explosion.
If he considers the CEO of BP should face criminal charges,why not
return the CEO of United Carbide back to India to face criminal charges.
concerned
B.H.Bulmer

Today President Obama DID what no Republican lawmaker, nor Republican President has ever done NOR even tried.

President Obama sat down with BP's Big Oil CEO and demanded a whopping 20 BILLION dollar escrow fund be set up to provide immediate funding to equipment, Gulf business, and Gulf resident Oil Spill related claims.

As early as last week ALL of the Republican Lawmakers including House Congressional Minority John (drill baby drill) Boehner and US Senate Minority Leader Mitch (drill baby drill) McConnell who ALL stated that Federal Government AND BP needed to Pay for all the costs incurred. These crass and extremely callous comments spewing out of the mouths of the Republican leaders who have obstructed Unemployment benefits and a wide range of legislation over their hypocritical mantra of fiscal responsibility!

Democratic President Obama from the beginning insisted that BP PAY for ALL of the damage, cleanup, claims, equipment and vessels needed to clean, correct and fix the damages incurred from BP's Crude Oil spill.

Undoubtedly, with pre-existing lax and lame Gas and Oil laws written by Republican lawmakers over many decades severely limit liability and responsibility by Big Oil, Gas and Coal companys when accidents occur. AND Republican placed Federal Judges across the Gulf Region (50%) were elected directly with the help of Big Oil funding their campaigns. AND Bush jr. placed Big Oil's friend US Supreme Court Chief Justice into his jurist position.

ALL of this, President Obama faced down with courage and conviction to force BP and its team of corporate Gas and Oil attorneys. It is likely President Obama had found evidence of neglect to follow reasonable safety regulations and President Obama suggested America would pull the extremely lucrative US Military Fuel contract from BP if BP didn't OK that enormous 20 BILLION dollar escrow account. Yes, that is hardball and that is why America needs a man such as President Obama and more Democratic lawmakers elected into public service.

I had recently sent a suggestion on containing the oil spill to the official White House website for such communications (and to BP). The gist of this is as follows:

Crude oil has a specific gravity slightly below one, and as such an oil spill gradually rises to the ocean surface, where it gets dispersed all over the place. I suggested that BP arrange to inject superheated steam into the mass of escaping oil. This will cause the lighter fractions in the crude oil to separate out (as occurs in a basic distillation tower) which will rise to the surface and rapidly evaporate. The balance residual oil (having a density of over 1) will sink to ocean floor and remain there till it gets consumed by microbial action or absorbed beneath the surface.

Dont know if this is a practical suggestion, but anyways, no harm in trying!!

Mohan Advani, Mumbai, India

Every Commercial Ethanol Plant produces more immediately usable fuel than any currently producing toxic, poisonous and carcinogenic crude Oil fossil fuel well produces gasoline in America.

It takes at least 6 gallons of toxic, poisonous and carcinogenic crude Oil to produce a single gallon of gasoline, unlike a bio-renewable Ethanol plant, when that pocket of fossil fuel in the crude Oil deposit is gone, it's gone period and the carbon released must be artificially compensated unless you want to super saturate the worlds Oceans with carbon more than they are already.

Funny, I don't see any of these Republican Big Oil corporations planting tree's to offset all the carbon fumes their product is spewing into America's atmosphere. Isn't it time to call Big Oil into account for the toxins, poisons and pollution their product produces?

Ethanol is carbon-neutral, it doesn't produce more carbon than the feedstock captured. Pressuring America's automakers to have full Flex-Fuel capable autos and trucks should be already in place and taking place.

E30 and E50 mixtures of Ethanol-Gasoline would almost immediately ween America from its dependence on ALL foreign crude Oil and those 'Oil Wars' that come with pouring 1 Billion dollars per day into the greedy hands of Middle East country's for their 'Oil'.

Automakers can simply change the car and truck's fuel 'chip' to enable them to run on E30 and E50 mixtures at minimal costs (far less than 100 dollars).

Federal Government should subsidize and give tax breaks to stations which add Ethanol-Gasoline mixing pumps which allow the consumer to adjust whatever Ethanol blend their vehicle can handle.

BP was just the one left standing when the music stopped. If you really believe that it is any better or worse then the rest of the oil companies then you probably believe in the tooth fairy as well. At this point, the world is so arrogant it would not matter what BP said they would be ridiculed. In particular, telling the real truth is anathema and firing the CEO accomplishes nothing but appease the masses need for blood.

To address the central question here, it's obvious that BP intends to deal with the collateral damage (and I know from first hand that the people will pour it on to maximize the handout) but the government, who is not without its culpability, will get a pass.

The rational approach would have us look into the industry and the government oversight to re-create a working solution for the American public. But I will not hold my breath for that.

It doesn;t matter what you or I think.
Who holds the international dollars, political clout and influence in the world–BP. Opinion fron the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

It is interesting to note that there is more and more focus on the role of the companies who leased the equipment and did the drilling. When the CEO of BP was Britishm it was relatively for US Americans to target BP. Now that a US American is the CEO, the tune of the US media has modulated slightly. The lesson to be learned: make sure a US American is in the firing line, and the bullets will bypass him/her.
I am mildly astonished that Bush, in talking about 'his' book (who really wrote it ?), did not blame the British for the information about WMD. He must be the only senior ranking US politician not to have done so.

Will the US govt put into effect the sort of safety regulations imposed on drillers by countries such as Norway ?

'Awaiting moderation'. As cute as 'deemed appropriate'.

it is amazing that the same firm is still allowed to operate anyhere.

BP is going to fail, i dont believe them, BP sucks