Personally, I don’t mind BP drilling for oil in public water as long as they are returning a good amount of that tax money to the country, and providing steady maintenance of the ocean. However, these companies owe it to the people allowing them to drill in that they must maintain a safe facility and do very little to pollute the ocean. If pollution of the ocean occurs, the company who is making profits from this drilling owes capital to all of the parties affected. Thus, the US government should force BP and all of the parties to blame to pay for the clean up entirely and provide some emergency funding for the EPA and fishermen in the Gulf to restore some of their ecosystem.
More than the environmental magnitude of this spill is also the fact that it speaks to the nature of lobbying in this country and how much it needs to be reformed. Firstly, the people in the gulf coast region are affected very negatively by this spill and if BP is getting off the hook by not paying for its environmental disaster, it is entirely because of congress’s love with lobbyists. It is a sad day in America when those with money have more power than those with votes. Our politicians must reform the lobbying system and campaign finance system so that those who come from one’s respective district represent the views and interest of that district as well as those of the nation. Secondly, there should be some emergency evaluation of all drilling units in this country and the minerals and resource service should be thoroughly audited to ensure that environmental disasters such as this does not occur again. An environmental bill with no lobbying interest created by a congress looking for the interest of the people which forces auditing of the minerals and resources services and oil drills will best serve to prevent another disaster from occurring. Presidential action by Obama such as working with governors and local legislators as well as oil executives can very much help the gulf’s cause in restoring it’s rich ecosystem to normality. I sincerely wish the best of luck to those affected by this.
The oil spill that is occuring right now is very bad for our environment and should have never happened in the first place. The goverment should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. BP should be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. Also the government should charge high fees for this action. They should be charged for everyday the oil is in the water and for the spill to happen. As of right now all they should be worried about is getting all the water out of the ocean and stopping the spill.
BP's latest plan to help clean up the oik spill in the Gulf of Mexico is to siphon off some of the oil by using robot submarines to cut away what is left of the ruined offshore well's leaking riser pipe, and then to lower a containment dome over the remaining assembly. BP will then funnel crude to the surface, but the diamond saw being used to cut through the pipe became stuck, and BP is now employing robots on the seabed to free it, a difficult task one mile deep. I believe that their solution has the potential to be successful, and they are doing as much as they can given the difficulty of this situation. Because the BP Company is a wealthy one, I believe that they should spend whatever it takes to quickly restore the Gulf of Mexico, no matter the cost. The more efficient the repair is, the less attention the company will have from the media. Efficiency and not being careless will benefit both the environment and themselves. They have the means to fix it, and a lot is going into trying to reduce the harmful effects from this spill. I do, however, think that BP should take full responsibility for this oil spill and not try to lay the blame on the company who manufactured the pipes the company used to drill for oil.
I think what happened in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil spill was horrible. It is going to affect not only the wildlife but also tourism and the economy. My belief is that the oil spill should have never happened in the first place. There should be Plan A, B, C, etc, not just plan b. I have no problem with oil companies drilling in the Gulf or other bodies of water, I just have a problem when these companies become greedy and then become careless with how the oil is handled. I have watched shows on how BP was rushing the people on the Oil Rig to pick up the drilling pace and created huge holes in the pipelines. This could have been almost 100% prevented if people had been more cautious. I believe that the Government needs to hold BP fully accountable for their actions and prosecuted to the highest degree for years to come from all the damage done. It was their mistake, and should be held liable.
I think the government should be much stricter with BP and give time deadlines to stop the oil from leaking and then penalize them if they don’t meet those requirements by taxing them, etc. In reading various articles, and other news sources on the oil spill, it seems to me that the National Guard and local people on the gulf are doing more to try and stop the oil spill then BP itself. That’s why if the government was to step in, BP would be working on this issue around the clock and finding the solution sooner.
The oil spill is a huge deal and should be a major priority right now to clean it up. BP should be doing all it can do to fix this issue no matter the cost. This type of a mistake should never happen. They should be fined for the damage they caused now and for the damage to the enviroment in the long run. Oil drilling and transportation should be taken very seriously and mistakes should never happen expecially ones these big. I dont know much about cleaning up oil spills but somehow they should contain the spill until they are able to get as much of it out as they can. Oil spills are one of the worst things that you can do and they should be prevented as much as they can be. Nate Ivey
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a great devastation and the government needs to impose penalties and fines for BP. This oil spill has caused a great number of disaster such as causing some animals to become endangered and there is also the enormous amount of money that will be needed to thoroughly clean the gulf. BP should have worked hard to stop the oil spill long ago and after finding out that they are not making a genuine effort to stop the spill, I was extremely irate. The government needs to fine BP for all the oil it was spilled and issue a time crisis for them to stop the spill by. This oil spill is having an enormous effect on not only people but also the ecosystem of the ocean. The government should step in and do whatever is needed to restore the spill region back to the way it was.
I believe that the government should be doing everything possible to help with the oil spill. The oil spill is not only BP’s fault. The reason they were drilling oil is because our country wants to enjoy the luxuries oil has given us. We are capable of not needing cars or heating our houses to the extent we do. The country should have been cutting back on oil but we have grown and demanded more. Because of the high demands I believe it is everyone’s fault for this issue. The government should be doing everything possible to stop the spill. If we don’t stop the spill the consequences will be dire. We are ruining the food chain, the economy, and people’s health. Oil spills take a long time to clean up. They can take many years to be completely clean. So although the oil will stop spilling the oil will still be ruining everyone’s lives. The government needs to prevent this problem from getting any worse than it already is. We need to find a way to help out BP whether it’s sending people down to clean up or it’s giving money to help out BP. Something needs to be done in the next few weeks to make the consequences as minimal as possible. The government should also start setting up laws to prevent any more issues from happening. Regular checks should be set in place so that we know everything is working properly. Also oil companies should have back up plans that should be presented to a board to show that they have emergency plans in case a spill does happen. Also the government should find ways for the country to use less oil and switch to other types of power. There are ways to stop this problem from happening again and the government can make it happen.
We should have never allowed BP to drill for oil in public waters. Although there efforts may have seemed harmless and fool proof, as we have seen the slightest mistake affects not only that little public area but the rest of the world. The once beautiful blue ocean is a black mess. The innocent animals who have a home in that ocean no longer have a home and are struggling for life. At this rate precious birds like the pelicans can become extinct. BP should be forced to clean up this mess they made. The government needs to focus just as much time on the animals as they do trying to stop the leaking. We should be rescuing animals that haven't been affected yet and keep them safe. As for the animals already affected, the government should find a way to treat all of them and save their lives. The government should also be focusing their attention on how to clear the water of the oil that has already been leaked into it. We must find a way to cleanses these waters soon so the oil doesn't spread into other waters and start to have a world effect.
The oil spill in the Golf of Mexico has become a huge disaster.I personally think that the government should start setting up laws to prevent from that ever happening again. BP should have been a lot more cautious on where they were drilling. The government should be willing to spend any amount of money in order to clean up the oil spill. I also think BP should be spending an enormous amount of money on cleaning up the spill as well, considering it was there fault. I feel as though people in Mexico are doing more for the oil spill then BP when it was 100% there fault. I think they should be monitored more before they start drilling into certain places so that oil spills will be prevented from ever happening again. Oil spills are very tragic for everyone.
The oil spill in the Gulf has become a huge problem for us to face. I believe BP should take full responsibility on the oil spill. They should have been more cautious in the first place so that this wouldn't happen. I think the government should begin making laws for oil companies to be more careful when drilling. Also, BP should have been watched more carefully since they have had more problems than other companies. It's alright for companies to be drilling in areas like the Gulf, but they just need to be more organized and cautious.
I think the government should punish BP for what they did in the Gulf. I think that is terrible what they did and they should be punished for it. This is claimed to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. We should take innitiative on this situation and punish BP for what they did. They completely polluted the Gulf, and probably took a lot of animals and natural life with it.
Also the amount of money that has to be put into this project is probably pretty expensive. I think BP should be definiately be taxed for making this mistake. To me, there's no excuse for that.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible thing, and I feel as though the government should impose punishment along with fines for BP. The spill has caused many disasters to the environment, some animals have become endangered. Also the amount of money that is going to be put towards cleaning the Gulf of Mexico is going to be outrageous. BP should have been working harder to stop the spill long ago, and they were doing absolutely nothing, not only did it astonish me, it made me frustrated, because knowing the damage that spill could have caused, all of those employees should have worked hard to stop it the second they found out. The government should step in and do whatever it takes to restore the ocean and the regions around it back to the way it was, and the way it should be. Also Bp should pay for the damage that was caused and continue to pay the government until all the money they had to spend is replaced.
The Government should enforce some sort of punishment on BP. Drilling for oil off coast is fine, but when you mess up and create once of the largest “human disasters” ever, some thing needs to be done. BP should be held responsible for every thing harmed and damaged. They should need to provide money for clean up, and workers. Also some sort of fine should be enforced onto BP. They have damaged our coast and eventually the coasts of other countries. I’m just waiting for a nice big law suit to find its way to BP’s door.
I think what is happening to our environment in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil spill is horrible. It will also affect tourism and the economy. I wish the oil spill never happened in the first place. The government should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. I think BP should also be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. As of right now all they should be worried about is getting all the water out of the ocean and stopping the spill.
In my opinion, i believe the government should be punishing BP for what they did in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a horrible thing with what they did and there should be a consequence of some sort. Supposedly, this is claimed to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Therefore, action should be taken on this situation and punish BP for what they did. They completely polluted this part of Mexico, and i could only imagine the natural life that it hurt. As for the money situation, the amount that has to be put into this project is definitely going to be expensive. I think BP should be paying some sort, like maybe be taxed or something of the sort. This was a terrible event that occured in the Gulf of Mexico.
Emma Velcofsky The oil spill in the Gulf has become a huge problem for us to face. I believe BP should take full responsibility on the oil spill. They should have been more cautious in the first place so that this wouldn't happen. I think the government should begin making laws for oil companies to be more careful when drilling. Also, BP should have been watched more carefully since they have had more problems than other companies. It's alright for companies to be drilling in areas like the Gulf, but they just need to be more organized and cautious.
Nick Sasso We should have never allowed BP to drill for oil in public waters. Although there efforts may have seemed harmless and fool proof, as we have seen the slightest mistake affects not only that little public area but the rest of the world. The once beautiful blue ocean is a black mess. The innocent animals who have a home in that ocean no longer have a home and are struggling for life. At this rate precious birds like the pelicans can become extinct. BP should be forced to clean up this mess they made. The government needs to focus just as much time on the animals as they do trying to stop the leaking. We should be rescuing animals that haven't been affected yet and keep them safe. As for the animals already affected, the government should find a way to treat all of them and save their lives. The government should also be focusing their attention on how to clear the water of the oil that has already been leaked into it. We must find a way to cleanses these waters soon so the oil doesn't spread into other waters and start to have a world effect.
The oil spill is no doubt going to affect many different aspects of the gulf. Between the money it is going to be to fix it, it is going to drag the tourism down, and it also is going to kill the wildlife living in it. BP should be responsible because they should have been more careful, but not only that but the government should have been watching them closer and this whole situation could have been avoided. The goverment should make BP pay for all of the damages because they are the ones who caused this.
As has made news headlines across the world, the BP oil spill has now become the worst oil spill in history. There absolutely needs to be something done to prevent this from ever happening again. The fact that this ever happened in the first place is absolutely sickening. Just looking at the pictures on the effects of the spill that were posted could make any person sick to their stomach in disgust that these oil giants let this happen. Regular checks should have been carried out and the status of ALL the pipes should have been constantly monitored. Now, the rest of us are forced to live with the consequences of this terrible disaster. My heart goes out to all of the people directly affected by this tragedy as the tycoons, politicians, additional businessmen, and law enforcement have all tried countless ways to stop the oil from spreading, and it keeps flowing out through the break. The estimated amount spilled into and around the Gulf of Mexico is now in the tens of millions, and "they" are running out of ways to resolve this problem. If they don't soon, this could blow up to even bigger, astronomical proportions and the world as a whole might suffer from all the consequences for years to come. I wish the people in charge of the Gulf resolution the best of luck in fixing this absolutely terrible problem.
The situation in the Gulf of Mexico has become a very vital issue and needs to be resolved quickly. Catastrophes like this cause major changes to the habitat of all the wild life in that area. Not just on the land but in the sea. The areas around the Gulf are all major attractions for tourism also and this industry will be damaged due to the oil spill. Many people will not want to swim in the ocean due to its pollution and costs like these will be more detrimental to America and its economy than the cost to fix up the oil spill. BP should be fined heavily by the government and have to pay for all of the damage done to the Gulf until all of the oil has been removed.
How should the government deal with BP and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
we live in a world were we cant afford to make mistakes especially in the oil company. as you may know the BP has just caused a big problem in are world that will afect a big part of us today. we have tried to fix the oil spill incident but nothing seems to work out. we have plans for the future but even those plans are not 100% sure that it will do the job. i feel that we are in a situation where we have nothing to lose but more oil every day so if we dont do anything now even if there is a risk of a bigger failure we will be in big trouble. it cant hurt to try new ways to fix this problem. oveysly the BP made a big mistake right now but these types of mistakes we can not afford there for i believe that there has got to be some consequences involved where all the money spent on fixing there mistakes should come from them not from the people
The oil spill is something that is effecting our in environment greatly. It is causing a lot of problems and is something that needs to be taken care of quickly. I feel that the government should be punishing BP for the problems that they have caused. BP needs to take full responsibility for this oil spill and needs to fix the damage it has caused. Wild life is suffering a great amount right now so BP needs to take action fast. It is going to cost a lot of money to clean up all the oil and repair the damage so BP definitely needs to contribute financially. The gulf is a mess right now and things need to be changed soon.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible thing, and I feel as though the government should impose punishment along with fines for BP.
In my opinion, no one should be drilling for oil in the ocean where wild life is in extreme danger. There are plenty of other more ecological ways to fuel cars and and other thing that needs oil.
The spill has caused many disasters to the environment, some animals have become endangered. Also the amount of money that is going to be put towards cleaning the Gulf of Mexico is going to be outrageous, and its BP's fault
BP should have been working harder to stop the spill long ago, and they were doing absolutely nothing, not only did it astonish me, it made me frustrated, because knowing the damage that spill could have caused, all of those employees should have worked hard to stop it the second they found out. The government should step in and do whatever it takes to restore the ocean and the regions around it back to the way it was, and the way it should be. Also BP should pay for the damage that was caused and continue to pay the government until all the money they had to spend is replaced.
Anthony Tyler I personally have a strong opinion on this topic.The oil spill that is occuring right now is very bad for our environment and should have never happened in the first place. The goverment should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. BP should be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. I also think we should try to control this kind of situation by setting into place more fail-safes. I just hope that their latest plan works with the remote drones but I doubt it. I don't care as long they don't try the Russian's nuke idea.
If the government made a direct reprimanding of oil spills it was seem hypocritical to me. Our transportation depends almost solely on oil, so if you want oil, you need to deal with its spills. The government also has no right to rerimand BP in anyway because its not like they wanted to lose this mass amount of their product. Every drop lost is money lost so they have no motive to not avoid this at all costs.
I do think that the government may want to employ better protection against oil spills, however this may come about i have no idea. I also think theyre should have already been plans in order for a situation like this, because in my mind it seems inevitable to happen again and again. There is no way that no one saw this happening.
Lastly i think that this can be a blessing in disguise for future oil spills. Plans will now be made in advance of a spill, people will know how to deal with it, and oil companies like BP will definetely have a better avoidance plan then what was used before this.
The oil spill that has recently occured in the Gulf of Mexico was a terrible "accident". I believe that the government should be extremely strict toward BP. They should recieve harsh consequences, for example being held liable for the damage done and still continuing, and paying lots of money. Not only are they losing gallons and gallons of oil, they are also damaging the wildlife in that area. This spill is also greatly affecting the economy along with tourism. Mr. Kirby, you had said that your friend was planning on going somewhere around there and has now cancelled his trip. Many people are disappointed by this action and it needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. I have heard in the news that they are planning on siphoning off some of the "old" pipe and placing a cap on the end of it to stop the oil from coming out. If the government was much stricter i think that BP would be trying a lot harder, such as working around the clock, to get this mess cleaned up.
Dom Severino I believe that the oil spill that is occuring right now is bad for our enviorment and it is a big deal. The government should have been looking at the situation more carefully so this wouldn't have taken place. I feel that we need to clean it up as soon as possible because the oil spill can effect all of the living organisms in the gulf of mexico and we are putting them in danger.
The goverment needs to crackdown on BP. There is too much couruption that is happeneing that allows these companies to get by with safety codes that are not up to regualtions so they are able to skim money. With this type of company, an oil company, that is able ot drill in open waters and have officals being bribed. Now it will not only effect BP but also the little people, the fisherman and the tourists attractions. The goverment needed to fix this problem or we will have even m ore of these spills and it will really hurt us.
I think what happened in the gulf was horrible. It is destroying the south, and could possibly continue to the north towards us to damage our water. I believe the government should be more strict. Make them clean up the spill by a specific date and if they cant then they have to pay a certain amount of money..or do something like that.
Truthfully, i would have no idea on how to stop this huge spill, it has gotten way out of control and something needs to be done about it, All i know is BP owes alot of things to alot of different people and places. The ocean has a black smog in the water the size of new york rolling around sweeping up helpless animals and drowning them in blackness.and while its open they might as well save some if its just going to spill out. They need to come up with formula that will harden the whole back up and seal that huge line up. The damage to the ocean will be catastrophic if they dont stop this spill soon.
I think that the government should help BP to clean up the oil spill. With help from our government, they would be able to clean up the oil faster than they ever would be able to do on their own. BP can still clean everything up there, it would just be made faster by having our help on their side. BP should be punished for their allowing of the oil to spill, but also should be allowed to try and make up for their mistake.
The BP oil spill is a pretty horrible event. I personally believe that oil drilling in general should be stopped for many reasons, spills like this being one of them. Another reason is that we should be working towards not using oil at all and finding a fuel source that doesn't cause so much damage to the environment. BP has also not only not failed to clean up the oil spill, but made it worse. If BP cannot find a solution soon then they should be forced to fund an idea that does work. They should also be forced to pay for damages and anything else that this venture cost. If this bankrupts them then fine, they don't deserve to be in business after all the safety inspections that they manipulated anyway.
As a future chemical engineer, this entire disaster is a jarring look at the magnitude of mistakes in engineering and responsibility. In this sort of debacle there is no way to point a finger at one person, but the company itself must be held responsible for the mistakes it has made. I know this will be treated much like the Exonn Valdeze spill and litigation will be held up in the courts for years and even decades before and verdict is received. It shames me that the legal system in the country is capable of running this way and is sad to see BP dodging any sort of responsibility. independent contractors must be brought in that will be payed from the federal government. This money that was payed to fix the spill must then be added to the financial verdict of any sort of legal action. This is the only I can imagine this disaster to come to an end and have BP accept responsibility.
The Oil Spill that is currently pouring into the Gulf is a very tragic thing and it's painful to hear about this. The amount of oil spilling out is enormous and is doing countless damage to the environment.I feel that BP is obviously at fault right now. This was their Oil Rig and BP should have been monitoring it more carefully. They should have checked it from time to time and Made sure that it was in good shape. What should the government do? I think the government should work with BP; closely monitor BP's progress with this spill, help fund the cost for the clean up and stoping the leak (which BP should payback) , and saving wildlife. This problem has become too big for BP to do alone, so the government and BP should work together to fix it. After this mess is over, the Government should enforce stricter laws on Oil Drilling. And BP should face consequences. Plus I don't think this is the first time BP had trouble. All this should be thought about after the spill is cleaned, until then I hope they can work out a successful way to clean it.
I believe that BP and its affiliate company should be held fully accountable for the oil spill that has devastated the Gulf Coast region. Even as they try (and fail) to stop the leakage of millions of gallons of oil into the gulf, they should be helping or even funding the massive clean up that is underway to both the ocean and the wildlife that is inhabiting it. The government must not allow BP to weasel its way out of this one as many companies have done is the past such as during the industrial era. Especially because this government has spent so much time telling everyone how green and friendly to the environment they want America to become, they should take a very hard stand on this issue. Not giving BP an inch and not making the taxpayers suffer for the problems of a company, not the government.
The oil spill that recently occurred in the Gulf is very serious, and is going to have a devastating effect on the environment now and in the future. Although the government should have been regulating the oil drilling sites, BP is fully responsible for the spill. They should be fined whatever it costs for clean up, and fined for not caring properly for their rigs, even if it causes bankruptcy to the company. They should be doing round the clock clean up to ensure the survival of the environment, and also to ensure that the spill does not spread any further.
The government should hold BP (and Halliburton) accountable for the current disaster. The companies responsible for the oil spill should be forced to take all available measures to stop the spill, pay for all the efforts to clean up the gulf and to save wildlife, and to reimburse businesses (such as tourism and fishing) that have been affected by the spill. In addition, the government should examine why this spill occurred in the first place, and pass stricter safety regulations and more frequent inspections. The government should also view this event as an opportunity to begin to focus more on renewable energy sources, which do not have as great a risk of devastating the environment.
I think that the government needs to be strict with BP, and make the company face consequences they deserve, because this isn’t just a little spill. The huge oil spill is threatening the Gulf region's ecosystem and its tourism, fishing, and shipping industries. BP has provided compensation to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida to help with costs and to help promote these states’ tourism industries, and this is how it should be. The people and companies affected by the spill need to be helped, and BP should take full responsibility for this accident. The government could lend the company money to fix this harmful mistake if it is needed, but BP should have to pay back every last penny.
I think that the oil spill is very bad. the innocent animals are being hurt by it and they dont deserve that. I think that they should drill somewhere else. The spill effects more than just the water it hurts the animals and the land now too. This spill has caused so much damage that is going to take a lot to get rid of. I think that it is very important that we take the time to clean it up and make it like brand new. The spill should be a main priority.
The oil spill that has happened in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible situation and is very detrimental to the ecosystem there. Much of the wildlife and plants that thrive in the ocean as well as the land are now being contaminated with oil, threatening their lives. Because of this, I feel that BP should be made fully responsible to fund the cleanup of this disaster. They should provide all necessary costs to cleanup the spill and for the damage that will affect the future of this area. Oil drilling should be taken more seriously and be carefully observed with stricter guidelines to further prevent this from happening again. As for the spill itself, workers should try to contain it as best as they can so that it won't reach any other parts of the Gulf of Mexico. This oilspill should be the focus of the government and BP until it is fully cleaned up and until the ecosystem is cared for.
First and foremost BP should be held completely accountable for what they have done. They got themselves into this mess, now they've got to dig themselves out. All of their attempts at stopping the leak have failed, and frankly, it's getting pretty ridiculous at this point. The government should punish BP for what they have done if they don't fix this soon. America is sick of watching our oceans get destroyed night after night on the news. BP CEO Tony Hayward was quoted saying "I want my life back" after the media and the public hounding him for what his company has done. You want your life back? Well, so would all of those birds and fish in the gulf Mr. Hayward, but unfortunately they won't be getting those back.
I didn’t truly understand the situation and didn’t comprehend the size of the matter at hand. It wasn’t until I saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center that it hit me, “What’s going on?” When I was first informed of the BP oil leak, I reacted similar to when I first heard about 9/11. I didn’t think much of it when my father told me of the hiccup in the oil rig and figured it didn’t affect my life so why bother about it. One week ago, I was watching the news and they showed a short clip of the oil spewing out of this pipe. At that time, there was an estimated 200,000 plus gallons pouring out each day. At this point I realized this wasn’t just some ordinary spill that could be fixed and cleaned up within a couple of months. This conflict will charge a large sum of money for clean up and damage repair. And who will pay that vast amount? I believe BP should. They are the initial cause for this “natural” disaster and should be held liable for any expense.
I’m not exactly sure what can be done to stop the oil spill in the gulf. All attempts made thus far have failed miserably, only opening the hole wider for oil to escape into the gulf. Until a new line can be drilled in August, I see no end in sight for the gulf’s miseries. The disaster is of proportions never witnessed before, with the oil slick larger than the state of Connecticut by now and a hundred feet deep (yes I know that figure is disputed, but keep in mind that those disputing it are the ones that caused this mess.) In the genre of science fiction, writers often talk about environmental mega-disasters that cause massive and irreparable damage to the ecosystem on a scale never before seen in real life history. Well this is it. This is the first. As Joe Biden would say, this is a big ****ing deal. I am no engineer and cannot theorize about possible ways to plug the hole that is spewing oil into the gulf. While BP must be punished severely and new and stricter safety regulations for drillers (what is wrong with humans that they never fix a problem until it is too late?), the most important thing to focus on right now is not who to blame, but how to fix the problem. Whatever can be done, it must be done soon, and before the Gulf of Mexico is rendered barren and lifeless. (Also before the spill starts spawning shoggoths, but that’s less likely—still both possibilities are really bad.)
I feel that the BP disaster is the result of three factors
1. Arrogance from the GOP and their pressure on BP to get ahead of the game on oil drilling 2. The blame game between govt, Bp, the GOP and Sarah Palin 3. The inability to act at once on the ruptured oil pipe.
I feel that had we as a nation had acted quicker on the scale of the disaster, it would not have been as bad as it has gotten. Instead we are now confronted with a reality of an oil spill greater than the size of New England and 3x the size of Exxon Valdez. ' All I can do is hope that BP will find it in them to act outside the box of rich oil companies and realize their mistakes and pay every penny to the struggling fisheries because no one wants the same outrafe and condemnation brought out by people during Exxon.
I think BP should suffer the consequences of their mistake. They are the only ones to blame and should be help completely accountable. Obviously this was not done on purpose but the time is has taken to fix the spill is unacceptable. I feel as though BP is not taking full responsibility for the spill and they should be fined for it. BP should be putting all their funding into ways to clean up the spill. It has affected people living in the area, their jobs, the wildlife, tourism and so much more. Thankfully, there have been numerous volunteers to help clean up but there is only so much they can do. This is a sign to many Americans that we have to start using other resources than oil.
I think this oil spill is a huge wake-up call to the world as to how dangerous off-shore drilling really is to, not only the environment, but potentially the economy. There are so many risks involved, and is it worth it now? I think that oil drilling companies, such as BP need to have stricter regulations in order to protect the environment and prevent more of these spills that are killing wildlife and threatening our economy. This is going to cost so much money to repair, and the people living on the Gulf Coast will have their jobs affected if BP does not have to pay for the damages. Hopefully, a lesson can be learned from this disaster, as to how to improve the safety of oil-drilling and prevent another spill.
The government should immediately set a commission of engineers and environmentalists to work in order to clean up the mess in that area. They should be incorporated into an emergency committee, titled the Emergency Environmental Disasters Committee. Futhermore, BP should have to pay for the entire cost of the spill, along with a 5% tax increase for the next two fiscal years. Another committee, set in place to find who was at fault for causing the disaster, should be established. Lastly, the CEO of BP and those involved in causing the disaster should be put on trial for crimes against the state.
The government should most definately give concequences to BP with this huge mishap. but alas, "justice"/vengence or whathaveyou, wont stop the oil from spilling. firstly, perhaps even before justice is served, the government should be working on a solution (not that BP isnt/shouldnt be doing just so at the very moment). i'm sure they've interviened by now, but the oil is ultimately still spilling.
In my opinion I believe that the government and BP should be doing whatever is possible to clean up the mess caused by the oil leak and to obviously fix the leak. The spill has already expanded to about half the size of New England, which is pretty big. The spill has affected not only the wildlife and plants within the gulf and on its coasts, but also the people who are dependent on the gulf for their survival. BP has and continues to be slacking in this entire situation. Something needs to be done in the next few weeks to make the consequences as minimal as possible. Oil spills take years to clean up and within that time take a huge toll on the life surrounding it. The US should force BP to pay for the cleanup and be the ones to send support to the Gulf to restore the ecosystem and the little guys who will most likely not see any retribution for this mess.
Todd Heritage Will this be the largest environmental disaster to ever occur? Will it rank among the level of Bhopal and the Union Cambridge gas leak… Ever since “black gold” was first discovered to possess superior qualities as a fuel for lighting, heating and transportation, it has posed daunting shipping and storage problems. On April 20th a large explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which ended up igniting a massive fire. I honestly am not sure of how the government should deal with BP and the oil spill. There has already been so much damage to our environment that it could affect future generations greatly, especially if it keeps progressing. We are using chemicals which are starting to be seen as harmful to both humans and animals and trying methods to keep it from getting worse which are only hurting us more. In order to deal with this the government must find a method to stop the leak because there is no way in which we will be able to contain it or get rid of it quickly. Only stopping the oil flow will allow us to look more closely at ways of cleaning up the spill.
Although BP needs to be held responsible for their actions, the whole world needs to join hands in combatting the damage of this natural disaster. The oil needs to be stopped and clean up and restoration efforts started. BP can say so long to its days as an oil supergiant. They need to take responsibility for their actions and fund not only the relief efforts but then men and women who have lost their living because of the pollution of the ocean. Th government as a whole needs to have tighter regulations to prevent an occurence like this to happen in the future. The current body of men in charge of oil inspections need to be fired. The government needs to examine the reasons in which the spill occured in the first place and make stricted safety regulations and more frequent and thorough inspections. We also need to start focusing out attention on renewable energy sources. A natural disaster of this magnitude cannot be ignored.
In my opinion, I don't mind BP drilling for oil in public water. There should be a definite amount of tax brought back to the country allowing us to take care of the ocean. The companies who are drilling need to take into consideration that people are letting them drill, they didn't just do it at their own free will and with drilling comes some responsibility. These companies need to maintain the ocean, keeping it as free from pollution as possible. I feel like spills like this can be avoided in the future if the drilling companies could make a conscious effort to keep the oceans free of pollution.
Although there are many views on whether or not BP is responsible for the oil spill, in my opinion they should take every ounce of responsibility that they can. There is no one else to blame for what has happened and they should be the ones to figure out a way to clean up all necessary and excess oil that is ruining our current environment.
I believe that BP should take financial responsibility for the oil spill. However, i think that their #1 priority at the present time should be stopping and containing the spill rather than seeking to divert attention from the spill, do PR work or other things. I also think that the company running the Deepwater Horizon platform should not be blameless. Both companies should be sued, either by the federal government, or by a class-action lawsuit of people in the affected region. Hopefully a court will be able to assign high punitive damages to convince BP and the many other oil companies that safety should be a priority when drilling for oil.
I honestly believe that BP Oil needs to take complete responsibility for the oil spill in the Gulf, and waste no time or effort in restoring the local environment. BP should not be let off the hook for this in any way, shape or form. The oil spill in the Gulf is a legitimate environmental disaster, and it is completely the fault of BP Oil.
I also believe that the government needs to take more initiative in forcing BP to take responsibility for the oil spill.
I think there are a few different ways you can approach the oil spill, my main thought would be to try and continuee on doing some ideas that have already been exposed, such as the peninsula that will catch all the oil when it goes thst eay or use straw or hair to catch all the oil. Im not surr what exactly anyone can do at this point because of how lsrge the spill was but these ideas are definitrly stated and seem like they mighy be able to work
For one, BP should be entirely responsible for paying all damages that have resulted from the oil spill. They are idiots for allowing a disaster like this to occur and have ruined pretty much an entire ecosystem. The Gulf of Mexico has been totally destroyed, and it will take years for the ecosystem to recover. BP should have to give a significant amount of money over the next several years to the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. However, I personally believe that this punishment is not quite enough. Here are some of my suggestions on how the government should deal with Tony Hayward and several of his colleagues: 1.) coat all of their possessions in oil 2.) oil boarding (water-boarding with oil) 3.) be forced to bathe/shower in oil until they stop the leak 4.) personally apologize to every animal who was affected by the oil spill 5.) create a sewage leak in his building in which the government will attempt to fix unsuccessfully for the duration of the oil leak
I think the government shouldn’t be considering punishing BP. Instead they should be focusing on stopping the oil from spilling. Oil spills are devastating to the environment in its area. We need to make sure the number of oil spills declines from here on out. Hopefully this spill has raised awareness on the devastation that accompanies an oil spill. Once the leak is fixed I don’t think the government should punish BP. I’m sure they feel horrible about what they’ve caused. And if they don’t I’m sure they’ve already been hurt financially because of the spill. And besides in a society that is so dependant on oil, a spill is bound to occur every once in a while. The real issue is to keep these oil spills to a minimum.
I believe that both BP and the government are responsible for the oil spill. Because of BP's carelessness and the government's failure to control them, millions of barrels of oil are leaking into the ocean. They have tried to use robots to help seal off the leak, however it is very slow and they have been facing many setbacks, including the saw getting stuck. BP has a lot of money, and they should be paying almost all of the costs to help stop the oil from ruining ocean life. This oil spill is affecting millions of people in the U.S as well, causing beaches to close, tourism to slow, and fishermen to be left with nothing. The government needs to help and must use a lot of BP's money to take in ideas from other top scientists and engineers to help stop this as fast as possible. They must find something that won’t hurt the environment but will burn/absorb the oil that has already made its way out and must either clog or catch all the oil from continuing to come out.
Matt Bailey I also dont have a huge problem with BP drilling for oil in the ocean as long as they are being careful and not making oil spills like this one a habit. I mean no one wants BP polluting the waters with their drilling but this drilling is very good for our country. This creates another very needed source of oil for our country. I believe that this shouldnt be that much of a problem as long as BP pays for the clean up of the oceans and for anything it takes for the fishermen to get back in business. As long as that happens and there are no further accidents, i think that the drilling by BP is a very good thing for the United States. Despite the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
64 comments:
Personally, I don’t mind BP drilling for oil in public water as long as they are returning a good amount of that tax money to the country, and providing steady maintenance of the ocean. However, these companies owe it to the people allowing them to drill in that they must maintain a safe facility and do very little to pollute the ocean. If pollution of the ocean occurs, the company who is making profits from this drilling owes capital to all of the parties affected. Thus, the US government should force BP and all of the parties to blame to pay for the clean up entirely and provide some emergency funding for the EPA and fishermen in the Gulf to restore some of their ecosystem.
More than the environmental magnitude of this spill is also the fact that it speaks to the nature of lobbying in this country and how much it needs to be reformed. Firstly, the people in the gulf coast region are affected very negatively by this spill and if BP is getting off the hook by not paying for its environmental disaster, it is entirely because of congress’s love with lobbyists. It is a sad day in America when those with money have more power than those with votes. Our politicians must reform the lobbying system and campaign finance system so that those who come from one’s respective district represent the views and interest of that district as well as those of the nation. Secondly, there should be some emergency evaluation of all drilling units in this country and the minerals and resource service should be thoroughly audited to ensure that environmental disasters such as this does not occur again. An environmental bill with no lobbying interest created by a congress looking for the interest of the people which forces auditing of the minerals and resources services and oil drills will best serve to prevent another disaster from occurring. Presidential action by Obama such as working with governors and local legislators as well as oil executives can very much help the gulf’s cause in restoring it’s rich ecosystem to normality. I sincerely wish the best of luck to those affected by this.
The oil spill that is occuring right now is very bad for our environment and should have never happened in the first place. The goverment should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. BP should be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. Also the government should charge high fees for this action. They should be charged for everyday the oil is in the water and for the spill to happen. As of right now all they should be worried about is getting all the water out of the ocean and stopping the spill.
BP's latest plan to help clean up the oik spill in the Gulf of Mexico is to siphon off some of the oil by using robot submarines to cut away what is left of the ruined offshore well's leaking riser pipe, and then to lower a containment dome over the remaining assembly. BP will then funnel crude to the surface, but the diamond saw being used to cut through the pipe became stuck, and BP is now employing robots on the seabed to free it, a difficult task one mile deep.
I believe that their solution has the potential to be successful, and they are doing as much as they can given the difficulty of this situation. Because the BP Company is a wealthy one, I believe that they should spend whatever it takes to quickly restore the Gulf of Mexico, no matter the cost. The more efficient the repair is, the less attention the company will have from the media. Efficiency and not being careless will benefit both the environment and themselves. They have the means to fix it, and a lot is going into trying to reduce the harmful effects from this spill. I do, however, think that BP should take full responsibility for this oil spill and not try to lay the blame on the company who manufactured the pipes the company used to drill for oil.
I think what happened in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil spill was horrible. It is going to affect not only the wildlife but also tourism and the economy. My belief is that the oil spill should have never happened in the first place. There should be Plan A, B, C, etc, not just plan b. I have no problem with oil companies drilling in the Gulf or other bodies of water, I just have a problem when these companies become greedy and then become careless with how the oil is handled. I have watched shows on how BP was rushing the people on the Oil Rig to pick up the drilling pace and created huge holes in the pipelines. This could have been almost 100% prevented if people had been more cautious. I believe that the Government needs to hold BP fully accountable for their actions and prosecuted to the highest degree for years to come from all the damage done. It was their mistake, and should be held liable.
I think the government should be much stricter with BP and give time deadlines to stop the oil from leaking and then penalize them if they don’t meet those requirements by taxing them, etc. In reading various articles, and other news sources on the oil spill, it seems to me that the National Guard and local people on the gulf are doing more to try and stop the oil spill then BP itself. That’s why if the government was to step in, BP would be working on this issue around the clock and finding the solution sooner.
The oil spill is a huge deal and should be a major priority right now to clean it up. BP should be doing all it can do to fix this issue no matter the cost. This type of a mistake should never happen. They should be fined for the damage they caused now and for the damage to the enviroment in the long run. Oil drilling and transportation should be taken very seriously and mistakes should never happen expecially ones these big. I dont know much about cleaning up oil spills but somehow they should contain the spill until they are able to get as much of it out as they can. Oil spills are one of the worst things that you can do and they should be prevented as much as they can be.
Nate Ivey
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a great devastation and the government needs to impose penalties and fines for BP. This oil spill has caused a great number of disaster such as causing some animals to become endangered and there is also the enormous amount of money that will be needed to thoroughly clean the gulf. BP should have worked hard to stop the oil spill long ago and after finding out that they are not making a genuine effort to stop the spill, I was extremely irate. The government needs to fine BP for all the oil it was spilled and issue a time crisis for them to stop the spill by. This oil spill is having an enormous effect on not only people but also the ecosystem of the ocean. The government should step in and do whatever is needed to restore the spill region back to the way it was.
I believe that the government should be doing everything possible to help with the oil spill. The oil spill is not only BP’s fault. The reason they were drilling oil is because our country wants to enjoy the luxuries oil has given us. We are capable of not needing cars or heating our houses to the extent we do. The country should have been cutting back on oil but we have grown and demanded more. Because of the high demands I believe it is everyone’s fault for this issue. The government should be doing everything possible to stop the spill. If we don’t stop the spill the consequences will be dire. We are ruining the food chain, the economy, and people’s health. Oil spills take a long time to clean up. They can take many years to be completely clean. So although the oil will stop spilling the oil will still be ruining everyone’s lives. The government needs to prevent this problem from getting any worse than it already is. We need to find a way to help out BP whether it’s sending people down to clean up or it’s giving money to help out BP. Something needs to be done in the next few weeks to make the consequences as minimal as possible. The government should also start setting up laws to prevent any more issues from happening. Regular checks should be set in place so that we know everything is working properly. Also oil companies should have back up plans that should be presented to a board to show that they have emergency plans in case a spill does happen. Also the government should find ways for the country to use less oil and switch to other types of power. There are ways to stop this problem from happening again and the government can make it happen.
We should have never allowed BP to drill for oil in public waters. Although there efforts may have seemed harmless and fool proof, as we have seen the slightest mistake affects not only that little public area but the rest of the world. The once beautiful blue ocean is a black mess. The innocent animals who have a home in that ocean no longer have a home and are struggling for life. At this rate precious birds like the pelicans can become extinct. BP should be forced to clean up this mess they made.
The government needs to focus just as much time on the animals as they do trying to stop the leaking. We should be rescuing animals that haven't been affected yet and keep them safe. As for the animals already affected, the government should find a way to treat all of them and save their lives.
The government should also be focusing their attention on how to clear the water of the oil that has already been leaked into it. We must find a way to cleanses these waters soon so the oil doesn't spread into other waters and start to have a world effect.
The oil spill in the Golf of Mexico has become a huge disaster.I personally think that the government should start setting up laws to prevent from that ever happening again. BP should have been a lot more cautious on where they were drilling. The government should be willing to spend any amount of money in order to clean up the oil spill. I also think BP should be spending an enormous amount of money on cleaning up the spill as well, considering it was there fault. I feel as though people in Mexico are doing more for the oil spill then BP when it was 100% there fault. I think they should be monitored more before they start drilling into certain places so that oil spills will be prevented from ever happening again. Oil spills are very tragic for everyone.
The oil spill in the Gulf has become a huge problem for us to face. I believe BP should take full responsibility on the oil spill. They should have been more cautious in the first place so that this wouldn't happen. I think the government should begin making laws for oil companies to be more careful when drilling. Also, BP should have been watched more carefully since they have had more problems than other companies. It's alright for companies to be drilling in areas like the Gulf, but they just need to be more organized and cautious.
Nick Cesca
I think the government should punish BP for what they did in the Gulf. I think that is terrible what they did and they should be punished for it. This is claimed to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. We should take innitiative on this situation and punish BP for what they did. They completely polluted the Gulf, and probably took a lot of animals and natural life with it.
Also the amount of money that has to be put into this project is probably pretty expensive. I think BP should be definiately be taxed for making this mistake. To me, there's no excuse for that.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible thing, and I feel as though the government should impose punishment along with fines for BP. The spill has caused many disasters to the environment, some animals have become endangered. Also the amount of money that is going to be put towards cleaning the Gulf of Mexico is going to be outrageous.
BP should have been working harder to stop the spill long ago, and they were doing absolutely nothing, not only did it astonish me, it made me frustrated, because knowing the damage that spill could have caused, all of those employees should have worked hard to stop it the second they found out.
The government should step in and do whatever it takes to restore the ocean and the regions around it back to the way it was, and the way it should be. Also Bp should pay for the damage that was caused and continue to pay the government until all the money they had to spend is replaced.
The Government should enforce some sort of punishment on BP. Drilling for oil off coast is fine, but when you mess up and create once of the largest “human disasters” ever, some thing needs to be done. BP should be held responsible for every thing harmed and damaged. They should need to provide money for clean up, and workers. Also some sort of fine should be enforced onto BP. They have damaged our coast and eventually the coasts of other countries. I’m just waiting for a nice big law suit to find its way to BP’s door.
I think what is happening to our environment in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil spill is horrible. It will also affect tourism and the economy. I wish the oil spill never happened in the first place.
The government should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. I think BP should also be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. As of right now all they should be worried about is getting all the water out of the ocean and stopping the spill.
In my opinion, i believe the government should be punishing BP for what they did in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a horrible thing with what they did and there should be a consequence of some sort. Supposedly, this is claimed to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Therefore, action should be taken on this situation and punish BP for what they did. They completely polluted this part of Mexico, and i could only imagine the natural life that it hurt. As for the money situation, the amount that has to be put into this project is definitely going to be expensive. I think BP should be paying some sort, like maybe be taxed or something of the sort. This was a terrible event that occured in the Gulf of Mexico.
I think that the Russians had the right idea. Bomb the pipeline, not necessarily with a nuke, and thereby end he problem. Hey, what could go wrong?
Emma Velcofsky
The oil spill in the Gulf has become a huge problem for us to face. I believe BP should take full responsibility on the oil spill. They should have been more cautious in the first place so that this wouldn't happen. I think the government should begin making laws for oil companies to be more careful when drilling. Also, BP should have been watched more carefully since they have had more problems than other companies. It's alright for companies to be drilling in areas like the Gulf, but they just need to be more organized and cautious.
Nick Sasso
We should have never allowed BP to drill for oil in public waters. Although there efforts may have seemed harmless and fool proof, as we have seen the slightest mistake affects not only that little public area but the rest of the world. The once beautiful blue ocean is a black mess. The innocent animals who have a home in that ocean no longer have a home and are struggling for life. At this rate precious birds like the pelicans can become extinct. BP should be forced to clean up this mess they made.
The government needs to focus just as much time on the animals as they do trying to stop the leaking. We should be rescuing animals that haven't been affected yet and keep them safe. As for the animals already affected, the government should find a way to treat all of them and save their lives.
The government should also be focusing their attention on how to clear the water of the oil that has already been leaked into it. We must find a way to cleanses these waters soon so the oil doesn't spread into other waters and start to have a world effect.
The oil spill is no doubt going to affect many different aspects of the gulf. Between the money it is going to be to fix it, it is going to drag the tourism down, and it also is going to kill the wildlife living in it. BP should be responsible because they should have been more careful, but not only that but the government should have been watching them closer and this whole situation could have been avoided. The goverment should make BP pay for all of the damages because they are the ones who caused this.
As has made news headlines across the world, the BP oil spill has now become the worst oil spill in history. There absolutely needs to be something done to prevent this from ever happening again. The fact that this ever happened in the first place is absolutely sickening. Just looking at the pictures on the effects of the spill that were posted could make any person sick to their stomach in disgust that these oil giants let this happen. Regular checks should have been carried out and the status of ALL the pipes should have been constantly monitored. Now, the rest of us are forced to live with the consequences of this terrible disaster. My heart goes out to all of the people directly affected by this tragedy as the tycoons, politicians, additional businessmen, and law enforcement have all tried countless ways to stop the oil from spreading, and it keeps flowing out through the break. The estimated amount spilled into and around the Gulf of Mexico is now in the tens of millions, and "they" are running out of ways to resolve this problem. If they don't soon, this could blow up to even bigger, astronomical proportions and the world as a whole might suffer from all the consequences for years to come. I wish the people in charge of the Gulf resolution the best of luck in fixing this absolutely terrible problem.
The situation in the Gulf of Mexico has become a very vital issue and needs to be resolved quickly. Catastrophes like this cause major changes to the habitat of all the wild life in that area. Not just on the land but in the sea. The areas around the Gulf are all major attractions for tourism also and this industry will be damaged due to the oil spill. Many people will not want to swim in the ocean due to its pollution and costs like these will be more detrimental to America and its economy than the cost to fix up the oil spill. BP should be fined heavily by the government and have to pay for all of the damage done to the Gulf until all of the oil has been removed.
jochai mor
How should the government deal with BP and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
we live in a world were we cant afford to make mistakes especially in the oil company. as you may know the BP has just caused a big problem in are world that will afect a big part of us today. we have tried to fix the oil spill incident but nothing seems to work out. we have plans for the future but even those plans are not 100% sure that it will do the job. i feel that we are in a situation where we have nothing to lose but more oil every day so if we dont do anything now even if there is a risk of a bigger failure we will be in big trouble. it cant hurt to try new ways to fix this problem. oveysly the BP made a big mistake right now but these types of mistakes we can not afford there for i believe that there has got to be some consequences involved where all the money spent on fixing there mistakes should come from them not from the people
The oil spill is something that is effecting our in environment greatly. It is causing a lot of problems and is something that needs to be taken care of quickly. I feel that the government should be punishing BP for the problems that they have caused. BP needs to take full responsibility for this oil spill and needs to fix the damage it has caused. Wild life is suffering a great amount right now so BP needs to take action fast. It is going to cost a lot of money to clean up all the oil and repair the damage so BP definitely needs to contribute financially. The gulf is a mess right now and things need to be changed soon.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible thing, and I feel as though the government should impose punishment along with fines for BP.
In my opinion, no one should be drilling for oil in the ocean where wild life is in extreme danger. There are plenty of other more ecological ways to fuel cars and and other thing that needs oil.
The spill has caused many disasters to the environment, some animals have become endangered. Also the amount of money that is going to be put towards cleaning the Gulf of Mexico is going to be outrageous, and its BP's fault
BP should have been working harder to stop the spill long ago, and they were doing absolutely nothing, not only did it astonish me, it made me frustrated, because knowing the damage that spill could have caused, all of those employees should have worked hard to stop it the second they found out.
The government should step in and do whatever it takes to restore the ocean and the regions around it back to the way it was, and the way it should be. Also BP should pay for the damage that was caused and continue to pay the government until all the money they had to spend is replaced.
Anthony Tyler
I personally have a strong opinion on this topic.The oil spill that is occuring right now is very bad for our environment and should have never happened in the first place. The goverment should have been watching BP closer to make sure no spills would happen. BP should be responsible for all the costs of cleaning up all the oil and stopping the oil from still spilling. I also think we should try to control this kind of situation by setting into place more fail-safes.
I just hope that their latest plan works with the remote drones but I doubt it. I don't care as long they don't try the Russian's nuke idea.
If the government made a direct reprimanding of oil spills it was seem hypocritical to me. Our transportation depends almost solely on oil, so if you want oil, you need to deal with its spills. The government also has no right to rerimand BP in anyway because its not like they wanted to lose this mass amount of their product. Every drop lost is money lost so they have no motive to not avoid this at all costs.
I do think that the government may want to employ better protection against oil spills, however this may come about i have no idea. I also think theyre should have already been plans in order for a situation like this, because in my mind it seems inevitable to happen again and again. There is no way that no one saw this happening.
Lastly i think that this can be a blessing in disguise for future oil spills. Plans will now be made in advance of a spill, people will know how to deal with it, and oil companies like BP will definetely have a better avoidance plan then what was used before this.
The oil spill that has recently occured in the Gulf of Mexico was a terrible "accident". I believe that the government should be extremely strict toward BP. They should recieve harsh consequences, for example being held liable for the damage done and still continuing, and paying lots of money. Not only are they losing gallons and gallons of oil, they are also damaging the wildlife in that area. This spill is also greatly affecting the economy along with tourism. Mr. Kirby, you had said that your friend was planning on going somewhere around there and has now cancelled his trip. Many people are disappointed by this action and it needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. I have heard in the news that they are planning on siphoning off some of the "old" pipe and placing a cap on the end of it to stop the oil from coming out. If the government was much stricter i think that BP would be trying a lot harder, such as working around the clock, to get this mess cleaned up.
Dom Severino
I believe that the oil spill that is occuring right now is bad for our enviorment and it is a big deal. The government should have been looking at the situation more carefully so this wouldn't have taken place. I feel that we need to clean it up as soon as possible because the oil spill can effect all of the living organisms in the gulf of mexico and we are putting them in danger.
The goverment needs to crackdown on BP. There is too much couruption that is happeneing that allows these companies to get by with safety codes that are not up to regualtions so they are able to skim money. With this type of company, an oil company, that is able ot drill in open waters and have officals being bribed. Now it will not only effect BP but also the little people, the fisherman and the tourists attractions. The goverment needed to fix this problem or we will have even m ore of these spills and it will really hurt us.
I think what happened in the gulf was horrible. It is destroying the south, and could possibly continue to the north towards us to damage our water. I believe the government should be more strict. Make them clean up the spill by a specific date and if they cant then they have to pay a certain amount of money..or do something like that.
Truthfully, i would have no idea on how to stop this huge spill, it has gotten way out of control and something needs to be done about it, All i know is BP owes alot of things to alot of different people and places. The ocean has a black smog in the water the size of new york rolling around sweeping up helpless animals and drowning them in blackness.and while its open they might as well save some if its just going to spill out. They need to come up with formula that will harden the whole back up and seal that huge line up. The damage to the ocean will be catastrophic if they dont stop this spill soon.
I think that the government should help BP to clean up the oil spill. With help from our government, they would be able to clean up the oil faster than they ever would be able to do on their own. BP can still clean everything up there, it would just be made faster by having our help on their side. BP should be punished for their allowing of the oil to spill, but also should be allowed to try and make up for their mistake.
The BP oil spill is a pretty horrible event. I personally believe that oil drilling in general should be stopped for many reasons, spills like this being one of them. Another reason is that we should be working towards not using oil at all and finding a fuel source that doesn't cause so much damage to the environment.
BP has also not only not failed to clean up the oil spill, but made it worse. If BP cannot find a solution soon then they should be forced to fund an idea that does work. They should also be forced to pay for damages and anything else that this venture cost. If this bankrupts them then fine, they don't deserve to be in business after all the safety inspections that they manipulated anyway.
As a future chemical engineer, this entire disaster is a jarring look at the magnitude of mistakes in engineering and responsibility. In this sort of debacle there is no way to point a finger at one person, but the company itself must be held responsible for the mistakes it has made. I know this will be treated much like the Exonn Valdeze spill and litigation will be held up in the courts for years and even decades before and verdict is received. It shames me that the legal system in the country is capable of running this way and is sad to see BP dodging any sort of responsibility. independent contractors must be brought in that will be payed from the federal government. This money that was payed to fix the spill must then be added to the financial verdict of any sort of legal action. This is the only I can imagine this disaster to come to an end and have BP accept responsibility.
The Oil Spill that is currently pouring into the Gulf is a very tragic thing and it's painful to hear about this. The amount of oil spilling out is enormous and is doing countless damage to the environment.I feel that BP is obviously at fault right now. This was their Oil Rig and BP should have been monitoring it more carefully. They should have checked it from time to time and Made sure that it was in good shape.
What should the government do? I think the government should work with BP; closely monitor BP's progress with this spill, help fund the cost for the clean up and stoping the leak (which BP should payback) , and saving wildlife. This problem has become too big for BP to do alone, so the government and BP should work together to fix it.
After this mess is over, the Government should enforce stricter laws on Oil Drilling. And BP should face consequences. Plus I don't think this is the first time BP had trouble. All this should be thought about after the spill is cleaned, until then I hope they can work out a successful way to clean it.
I believe that BP and its affiliate company should be held fully accountable for the oil spill that has devastated the Gulf Coast region. Even as they try (and fail) to stop the leakage of millions of gallons of oil into the gulf, they should be helping or even funding the massive clean up that is underway to both the ocean and the wildlife that is inhabiting it.
The government must not allow BP to weasel its way out of this one as many companies have done is the past such as during the industrial era. Especially because this government has spent so much time telling everyone how green and friendly to the environment they want America to become, they should take a very hard stand on this issue. Not giving BP an inch and not making the taxpayers suffer for the problems of a company, not the government.
The oil spill that recently occurred in the Gulf is very serious, and is going to have a devastating effect on the environment now and in the future. Although the government should have been regulating the oil drilling sites, BP is fully responsible for the spill. They should be fined whatever it costs for clean up, and fined for not caring properly for their rigs, even if it causes bankruptcy to the company. They should be doing round the clock clean up to ensure the survival of the environment, and also to ensure that the spill does not spread any further.
The government should hold BP (and Halliburton) accountable for the current disaster. The companies responsible for the oil spill should be forced to take all available measures to stop the spill, pay for all the efforts to clean up the gulf and to save wildlife, and to reimburse businesses (such as tourism and fishing) that have been affected by the spill. In addition, the government should examine why this spill occurred in the first place, and pass stricter safety regulations and more frequent inspections. The government should also view this event as an opportunity to begin to focus more on renewable energy sources, which do not have as great a risk of devastating the environment.
I think that the government needs to be strict with BP, and make the company face consequences they deserve, because this isn’t just a little spill. The huge oil spill is threatening the Gulf region's ecosystem and its tourism, fishing, and shipping industries. BP has provided compensation to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida to help with costs and to help promote these states’ tourism industries, and this is how it should be. The people and companies affected by the spill need to be helped, and BP should take full responsibility for this accident. The government could lend the company money to fix this harmful mistake if it is needed, but BP should have to pay back every last penny.
I think that the oil spill is very bad. the innocent animals are being hurt by it and they dont deserve that. I think that they should drill somewhere else. The spill effects more than just the water it hurts the animals and the land now too. This spill has caused so much damage that is going to take a lot to get rid of. I think that it is very important that we take the time to clean it up and make it like brand new. The spill should be a main priority.
The oil spill that has happened in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible situation and is very detrimental to the ecosystem there. Much of the wildlife and plants that thrive in the ocean as well as the land are now being contaminated with oil, threatening their lives. Because of this, I feel that BP should be made fully responsible to fund the cleanup of this disaster. They should provide all necessary costs to cleanup the spill and for the damage that will affect the future of this area. Oil drilling should be taken more seriously and be carefully observed with stricter guidelines to further prevent this from happening again. As for the spill itself, workers should try to contain it as best as they can so that it won't reach any other parts of the Gulf of Mexico. This oilspill should be the focus of the government and BP until it is fully cleaned up and until the ecosystem is cared for.
First and foremost BP should be held completely accountable for what they have done. They got themselves into this mess, now they've got to dig themselves out. All of their attempts at stopping the leak have failed, and frankly, it's getting pretty ridiculous at this point. The government should punish BP for what they have done if they don't fix this soon. America is sick of watching our oceans get destroyed night after night on the news. BP CEO Tony Hayward was quoted saying "I want my life back" after the media and the public hounding him for what his company has done. You want your life back? Well, so would all of those birds and fish in the gulf Mr. Hayward, but unfortunately they won't be getting those back.
I didn’t truly understand the situation and didn’t comprehend the size of the matter at hand. It wasn’t until I saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center that it hit me, “What’s going on?”
When I was first informed of the BP oil leak, I reacted similar to when I first heard about 9/11. I didn’t think much of it when my father told me of the hiccup in the oil rig and figured it didn’t affect my life so why bother about it. One week ago, I was watching the news and they showed a short clip of the oil spewing out of this pipe. At that time, there was an estimated 200,000 plus gallons pouring out each day. At this point I realized this wasn’t just some ordinary spill that could be fixed and cleaned up within a couple of months. This conflict will charge a large sum of money for clean up and damage repair. And who will pay that vast amount? I believe BP should. They are the initial cause for this “natural” disaster and should be held liable for any expense.
I’m not exactly sure what can be done to stop the oil spill in the gulf. All attempts made thus far have failed miserably, only opening the hole wider for oil to escape into the gulf. Until a new line can be drilled in August, I see no end in sight for the gulf’s miseries. The disaster is of proportions never witnessed before, with the oil slick larger than the state of Connecticut by now and a hundred feet deep (yes I know that figure is disputed, but keep in mind that those disputing it are the ones that caused this mess.) In the genre of science fiction, writers often talk about environmental mega-disasters that cause massive and irreparable damage to the ecosystem on a scale never before seen in real life history. Well this is it. This is the first. As Joe Biden would say, this is a big ****ing deal.
I am no engineer and cannot theorize about possible ways to plug the hole that is spewing oil into the gulf. While BP must be punished severely and new and stricter safety regulations for drillers (what is wrong with humans that they never fix a problem until it is too late?), the most important thing to focus on right now is not who to blame, but how to fix the problem. Whatever can be done, it must be done soon, and before the Gulf of Mexico is rendered barren and lifeless. (Also before the spill starts spawning shoggoths, but that’s less likely—still both possibilities are really bad.)
I feel that the BP disaster is the result of three factors
1. Arrogance from the GOP and their pressure on BP to get ahead of the game on oil drilling
2. The blame game between govt, Bp, the GOP and Sarah Palin
3. The inability to act at once on the ruptured oil pipe.
I feel that had we as a nation had acted quicker on the scale of the disaster, it would not have been as bad as it has gotten. Instead we are now confronted with a reality of an oil spill greater than the size of New England and 3x the size of Exxon Valdez. '
All I can do is hope that BP will find it in them to act outside the box of rich oil companies and realize their mistakes and pay every penny to the struggling fisheries because no one wants the same outrafe and condemnation brought out by people during Exxon.
I think BP should suffer the consequences of their mistake. They are the only ones to blame and should be help completely accountable. Obviously this was not done on purpose but the time is has taken to fix the spill is unacceptable. I feel as though BP is not taking full responsibility for the spill and they should be fined for it. BP should be putting all their funding into ways to clean up the spill. It has affected people living in the area, their jobs, the wildlife, tourism and so much more. Thankfully, there have been numerous volunteers to help clean up but there is only so much they can do. This is a sign to many Americans that we have to start using other resources than oil.
I think this oil spill is a huge wake-up call to the world as to how dangerous off-shore drilling really is to, not only the environment, but potentially the economy. There are so many risks involved, and is it worth it now? I think that oil drilling companies, such as BP need to have stricter regulations in order to protect the environment and prevent more of these spills that are killing wildlife and threatening our economy. This is going to cost so much money to repair, and the people living on the Gulf Coast will have their jobs affected if BP does not have to pay for the damages. Hopefully, a lesson can be learned from this disaster, as to how to improve the safety of oil-drilling and prevent another spill.
The government should immediately set a commission of engineers and environmentalists to work in order to clean up the mess in that area. They should be incorporated into an emergency committee, titled the Emergency Environmental Disasters Committee. Futhermore, BP should have to pay for the entire cost of the spill, along with a 5% tax increase for the next two fiscal years. Another committee, set in place to find who was at fault for causing the disaster, should be established. Lastly, the CEO of BP and those involved in causing the disaster should be put on trial for crimes against the state.
The government should most definately give concequences to BP with this huge mishap. but alas, "justice"/vengence or whathaveyou, wont stop the oil from spilling. firstly, perhaps even before justice is served, the government should be working on a solution (not that BP isnt/shouldnt be doing just so at the very moment). i'm sure they've interviened by now, but the oil is ultimately still spilling.
In my opinion I believe that the government and BP should be doing whatever is possible to clean up the mess caused by the oil leak and to obviously fix the leak. The spill has already expanded to about half the size of New England, which is pretty big. The spill has affected not only the wildlife and plants within the gulf and on its coasts, but also the people who are dependent on the gulf for their survival. BP has and continues to be slacking in this entire situation. Something needs to be done in the next few weeks to make the consequences as minimal as possible. Oil spills take years to clean up and within that time take a huge toll on the life surrounding it. The US should force BP to pay for the cleanup and be the ones to send support to the Gulf to restore the ecosystem and the little guys who will most likely not see any retribution for this mess.
Todd Heritage
Will this be the largest environmental disaster to ever occur? Will it rank among the level of Bhopal and the Union Cambridge gas leak…
Ever since “black gold” was first discovered to possess superior qualities as a fuel for lighting, heating and transportation, it has posed daunting shipping and storage problems. On April 20th a large explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which ended up igniting a massive fire.
I honestly am not sure of how the government should deal with BP and the oil spill. There has already been so much damage to our environment that it could affect future generations greatly, especially if it keeps progressing. We are using chemicals which are starting to be seen as harmful to both humans and animals and trying methods to keep it from getting worse which are only hurting us more. In order to deal with this the government must find a method to stop the leak because there is no way in which we will be able to contain it or get rid of it quickly. Only stopping the oil flow will allow us to look more closely at ways of cleaning up the spill.
Although BP needs to be held responsible for their actions, the whole world needs to join hands in combatting the damage of this natural disaster. The oil needs to be stopped and clean up and restoration efforts started. BP can say so long to its days as an oil supergiant. They need to take responsibility for their actions and fund not only the relief efforts but then men and women who have lost their living because of the pollution of the ocean. Th government as a whole needs to have tighter regulations to prevent an occurence like this to happen in the future. The current body of men in charge of oil inspections need to be fired. The government needs to examine the reasons in which the spill occured in the first place and make stricted safety regulations and more frequent and thorough inspections. We also need to start focusing out attention on renewable energy sources. A natural disaster of this magnitude cannot be ignored.
In my opinion, I don't mind BP drilling for oil in public water. There should be a definite amount of tax brought back to the country allowing us to take care of the ocean. The companies who are drilling need to take into consideration that people are letting them drill, they didn't just do it at their own free will and with drilling comes some responsibility. These companies need to maintain the ocean, keeping it as free from pollution as possible. I feel like spills like this can be avoided in the future if the drilling companies could make a conscious effort to keep the oceans free of pollution.
Although there are many views on whether or not BP is responsible for the oil spill, in my opinion they should take every ounce of responsibility that they can. There is no one else to blame for what has happened and they should be the ones to figure out a way to clean up all necessary and excess oil that is ruining our current environment.
I believe that BP should take financial responsibility for the oil spill. However, i think that their #1 priority at the present time should be stopping and containing the spill rather than seeking to divert attention from the spill, do PR work or other things. I also think that the company running the Deepwater Horizon platform should not be blameless. Both companies should be sued, either by the federal government, or by a class-action lawsuit of people in the affected region. Hopefully a court will be able to assign high punitive damages to convince BP and the many other oil companies that safety should be a priority when drilling for oil.
I honestly believe that BP Oil needs to take complete responsibility for the oil spill in the Gulf, and waste no time or effort in restoring the local environment. BP should not be let off the hook for this in any way, shape or form. The oil spill in the Gulf is a legitimate environmental disaster, and it is completely the fault of BP Oil.
I also believe that the government needs to take more initiative in forcing BP to take responsibility for the oil spill.
I think there are a few different ways you can approach the oil spill, my main thought would be to try and continuee on doing some ideas that have already been exposed, such as the peninsula that will catch all the oil when it goes thst eay or use straw or hair to catch all the oil. Im not surr what exactly anyone can do at this point because of how lsrge the spill was but these ideas are definitrly stated and seem like they mighy be able to work
For one, BP should be entirely responsible for paying all damages that have resulted from the oil spill. They are idiots for allowing a disaster like this to occur and have ruined pretty much an entire ecosystem. The Gulf of Mexico has been totally destroyed, and it will take years for the ecosystem to recover. BP should have to give a significant amount of money over the next several years to the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. However, I personally believe that this punishment is not quite enough. Here are some of my suggestions on how the government should deal with Tony Hayward and several of his colleagues:
1.) coat all of their possessions in oil
2.) oil boarding (water-boarding with oil)
3.) be forced to bathe/shower in oil until they stop the leak
4.) personally apologize to every animal who was affected by the oil spill
5.) create a sewage leak in his building in which the government will attempt to fix unsuccessfully for the duration of the oil leak
I think the government shouldn’t be considering punishing BP. Instead they should be focusing on stopping the oil from spilling. Oil spills are devastating to the environment in its area. We need to make sure the number of oil spills declines from here on out. Hopefully this spill has raised awareness on the devastation that accompanies an oil spill. Once the leak is fixed I don’t think the government should punish BP. I’m sure they feel horrible about what they’ve caused. And if they don’t I’m sure they’ve already been hurt financially because of the spill. And besides in a society that is so dependant on oil, a spill is bound to occur every once in a while. The real issue is to keep these oil spills to a minimum.
I believe that both BP and the government are responsible for the oil spill. Because of BP's carelessness and the government's failure to control them, millions of barrels of oil are leaking into the ocean. They have tried to use robots to help seal off the leak, however it is very slow and they have been facing many setbacks, including the saw getting stuck. BP has a lot of money, and they should be paying almost all of the costs to help stop the oil from ruining ocean life. This oil spill is affecting millions of people in the U.S as well, causing beaches to close, tourism to slow, and fishermen to be left with nothing. The government needs to help and must use a lot of BP's money to take in ideas from other top scientists and engineers to help stop this as fast as possible. They must find something that won’t hurt the environment but will burn/absorb the oil that has already made its way out and must either clog or catch all the oil from continuing to come out.
Matt Bailey
I also dont have a huge problem with BP drilling for oil in the ocean as long as they are being careful and not making oil spills like this one a habit. I mean no one wants BP polluting the waters with their drilling but this drilling is very good for our country. This creates another very needed source of oil for our country. I believe that this shouldnt be that much of a problem as long as BP pays for the clean up of the oceans and for anything it takes for the fishermen to get back in business. As long as that happens and there are no further accidents, i think that the drilling by BP is a very good thing for the United States. Despite the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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