The BP Oil Spill essays

The BP Oil Spill essays The oil spill which rapidly swept the nation with damaging effects for several months was an enormous controversial issue which appeared in media sources from coast to coast. In late April when the catastrophe occurred, the world was not at all ready for what was soon to come. Initially to stop the steady flow of oil from seeping into the Gulf lead to an excess of serious problems; specifically, in the areas which surrounded the site of the incident. Until the recent tragedy British Petroleum, better known as BP, presented themselves as a good corporation; however, due to the devastating events the once good corporation took a huge hit. Chief Executive Officer, Tony Hayward primarily, was directed in the line of fire throughout the whole ordeal. Speculations of Hayward being entirely at fault were in fact made, but can the entire blame of such an unanticipated accident be single-handedly placed on one man? It was thought by many that after suffering such a misfortune, BP would likel y go bankrupt due to tremendous loss of funds. An article by Charlie Savage which appeared in the New York Times discussed in detail the block on the drilling ban issued by Federal Judge Martin Feldman. Shortly after the massive spill began, six month immobilization of all offshore drilling in depths greater than five hundred feet was issued. Fortunately, the drilling ban immediately brought thirty-three offshore exploratory endeavors to a standstill and suspended numerous new permits; however, it did not affect already operating rigs. President Obama stated, Continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make sense, and could potentially jeopardize the safety of those on the rigs and the safety of the environment in the Gulf (Savage). In his quote, President Obama clearly stated his opinion on the matter and acknowledge the fact that continuing to drill would undoubtedly pose some degree of danger. ...