Louisiana: BP Will Fight Compensation Payments for Gulf Oil Spill


B. McPherson
BP will fight people made sick by corexit.

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is still having health and economic repercussions in the US South. February 25, BP will enter a courtroom in New Orleans to determine who was at fault for the massive pollution of the Gulf of Mexico when the Macondo Well blew out. Those who were adversely affected by the spill but excluded from the original group that received compensation for damages will have to prove that they suffered harm from the oil spill.

Oil industry people who had to suspend operations while the well spewed oil into the water are claiming damages as well as those who were servicing and building drill platforms are claiming in the millions of dollars. Municipalities and state governments were not covered in the original compensation accord. 

The BP spokesperson has let it out that the cities and state governments actually benefitted from the spill with all the workers and materials brought into the area for cleanup. They claim that they can prove this with tax records.

Economic hardship cases will have a hard time too. Restaurateurs in a wide area suffered big economic losses as their businesses were shut down when the Gulf fisheries were closed. When they reopened they were hit with the double whammy of higher prices and fewer customers.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of this massive pollution of the Gulf is those whose health has been irreversibly damaged. Those who helped clean up and breathed the volatile chemicals have damaged lungs and other organs. A Louisiana doctor, Michael Robichaux, says it plainly.

“I’m treating patients with chronic illnesses that will affect them for the rest of their lives, and they’re not even included in what was negotiated with BP,” Robichaux said. “These patients and their injuries are screwed, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about it.” Bloomberg News
Remember Tony Hayward, former head of BP? He was the voice of the uncaring oil behemoth. He has surfaced again in a Turkish/Iraqi venture to explore for and exploit oil in Northern Iraq. He has gathered some colourful characters to work with.

It has also been run, up until now, by a colourful and controversial boss, Mehmet Sepil – who was fined £1m for insider dealing by the FSA City watchdog last year – and partly owned by another Turkish businessman, Mehmet Emin Karamehmet, who is currently appealing against an 11-year jail sentence for embezzlement.  Guardian UK
And no one can speak for the whales, the tuna, dolphins, sea stars, plankton ……
Location: New Orleans, LA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prince Rupert Says No to Enbridge Pipeline

Image
B. McPherson Prince Rupert city council joined a growing list of BC coastal communities that are saying “No” to the Enbridge proposal to build a twinned pipeline from Edmonton to the coast. The decision of the Prince Rupert city politicians was unanimous. Already the village of Kitimaat, Terrace and the Skeena Queen Charlottes Regional District have voiced their opposition to the project. There are ongoing hearings by a federal court appointed Joint Review Panel which are gathering input from interested parties about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline which would bring crude petroleum from the oil sands of Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The proposal would see a twinned pipeline run over the Rocky Mountains and through wilderness to the treacherous west coast. The proposed terminus at Kitimat would require tankers to wend their way through the maze of islands and reefs to load up at the head of Douglas Channel. While the hearings and the finding
Read more

Abandoned Oil Pipelines What Lurks Below?

Image
These photos were taken July 2012 in the historic Turner Valley, Alberta B. McPherson Controversy over new oil pipelines is reaching boiling point in many circles. Heated debate is taking place over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway and Keystone Pipeline proposals. Safety, disruption to landowners  and more are being weighed against the money to be made transporting and selling petroleum products. It got me thinking about the old pipelines. What happens to a pipeline when it is too old to use or not needed? It’s a bit of an Alice in Wonderland scene. The US laws and regulations are different from ours in Canada. The Pipeline and Gas Journal is a source of information about abandoned pipelines in Texas. Apparently a pipeline in Texas may be abandoned by a company, but it still retains ownership and may choose to reactivate the line at a later date. In the meantime, the right of way or easement is no longer maintained, but the through which the pipe extends is not free
Read more

Efficient Rail Transport May Make Pipelines Obsolete

Image
B. McPherson What happens to all the abandoned pipelines? Oil pipelines have huge direct costs to build, but they also have many hidden costs. In spite of dire warnings by environmentalist the world is demanding ever greater supplies of the black gold. For those countries that have it and market it successfully, money comes rolling in. But at what cost? An oil pipeline is a hugely complex thing. Enbridge Corp. has been battling citizens in British Columbia over its proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline in the US has been stalled for months. When Big Oil needs to transport oil or bitumen to refineries, it usually gets a smooth ride to approval. Labelling energy security as a national priority, property rights are infringed upon. People in Canada cannot legally stop the installation of a pipeline across their property. The high pressure conduit is often buried only a few feet below the surface leaving crops, buildings and livestock vulnerable to a
Read more