One of the most unreported legacies of the Exxon Valdez oil spill was the devastating long-term health impact of many of the clean-up workers and communities. Thousands of people suffered short-term and long-term effects from the spill. An unknown number have died. It was in part this lethal legacy that was a shadow of fear … Read More
BP
Drilling Resumes, but Doubts Remain
Yesterday the US Interior Department approved the first new deepwater drilling permit since BP’s Deepwater disaster last April. The permit for Noble Energy to drill about 70 miles southeast of Venice, Florida, comes more than four months after the Interior Department lifted its deep-water drilling moratorium, and nearly a year after the disaster. “This permit … Read More
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
As Colonel Gaddafi’s power slowly ebbs away in Libya, many people will be worried that he is planning a brutal, bloody, finale. Predicting the unpredictable dictator is a dangerous game. But in mapping how the end game is going to play out, you could also play the blame game in how we got here. And … Read More
Welcome to the “Invertebrate Graveyard”
Do you remember when last August that the US government announced that seventy-five per cent of the oil from BP’s Deepwater disaster had miraculously “disappeared”? This led to a plethora of press reports and blog posts that the ecological effects of the disaster had been over-exaggerated. At the time Samantha Joye, a marine scientist at … Read More
We Can Win the Fight to Eliminate Dirty Fossil Fuel Subsidies
We are in this fight to win it for ourselves, our pocket books, our planet, and our kids and grand kids. And this is a fight. Despite the trillion in profits big oil and gas companies are making on the backs of American consumers, they came out swinging against President Obama’s second call in his … Read More
Investors Warn Over Deepwater Risks
The oil industry may be arguing that its back to business as usual after the Deepwater Horizon blowout, but the disaster is still causing major ripples within the investment community. And now the shareholders – who together represent investments of $2.5 trillion – are coming together to force through further changes. They are arguing that … Read More
Push Back Against the Climate Deniers and End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
At the same time it appears that big oil and coal climate denial campaigns are successfully stifling climate action in Congress and the Obama Administration, a group of America’s top scientists stepped up to the plate on Tuesday and called on House and Senate leaders to “take a fresh look at climate change.” And none … Read More
BP, the Russian Godfather & Rogue States
As BP reported a $5bn loss after Gulf oil spill, confusion reigns this morning whether the company will be able to pay its dividend in full. The company has publicly announced that it will pay a dividend for the first time since the Deepwater disaster. But Bob Dudley’s hopes of winning round the investment community … Read More
“Compromised” API Set for Key Safety Role
So its back to business as usual. Bob Dudley, BP’s chief executive, is set to announce a resumption of dividend payments tomorrow as a signal to investors that the oil giant is back on track, after last year’s Deepwater disaster. The reinstatement is key for Dudley to show investor confidence before his inaugural presentation to … Read More
Bolshoi Petroleum is “environmental villain number one”
Ever since BP’s complex deal with Russian giant Rosneft was announced late last Friday, the list of critics to the deal has been growing. Take today’s leader in the Financial Times that calls the deal “risky, ethically vexing” and a “difficult transaction to spin.” I am surprised that a tabloid newspaper hasn’t spun the deal … Read More