BP oil spill syndrome class action lawsuit

[Presentation]

Mark my word, this is coming.

They may point to the oil dispersant or dramatic stress or the CEO saying he wants his life back, but I’m calling it.

Some law firm will get a bunch of people who will claim that post spill their lives went to crap and it’s all because of BP.

I was talking to a person who is boycotting BP. I asked him whose fault it was. He said its BP’s fault. I asked if he drives a car. “Of course” was the reply.

Well if it was not BP it just would have been someone else.

I’m not saying BP has no blame, I am saying that all petroleum users share the blame by creating demand just like a druggie causes drug dealers to exist and "John’s" cause prostitutes.

 

[thirtydaZe]

which begs the question, what came first the prostitute or the john?

 

[Gofirstclass]

which begs the question, what came first the prostitute or the john?

No offense thirty, but I think that should have been phrased "WHO came first the prostitute or the john?"

The answer, obviously would be the john. :smt038

 

[Nacho Boat]

No offense thirty, but I think that should have been phrased "WHO came first the prostitute or the john?"

The answer, obviously would be the john. :smt038

I would disagree....if the prostitute loves her job....she might come first!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist):grin:

 

[Tonka Boater]

I’m not saying BP has no blame, I am saying that all petroleum users share the blame by creating demand...

WHAT?!?! So steak eaters are to blame if someone uses a steak knife for murder? Because there is demand for steak, right?

Well if it was not BP it just would have been someone else.

Not true. BP is 100% responsible. That's like saying you're not responsible for damage caused by your wake....if not you, someone else's wake would've caused damage.

Nail the f'ers to the wall. That disaster is un-effing-acceptable.

 

[docofthebay]

We have a condo that is strictly a rental outside of Gulf Shore Al and as of today, we have lost $5,400 in rentals since this started. This is $5,400 documented, already pre-rented then backed out because of the oil spill.

 

[Tonka Boater]

A class action suit should be the least of BP's concerns. They need to forfeit their wells to the U.S. and then we should auction them off to help pay for the damage.

 

[1stSeaRay]

Accidents happen, however BPs response has been horrific. The fact that they obviously had NO plan for dealing with a spill is unacceptable. To make matters worse, its clear that their first priority is NOT stopping the leak, its maintaining their investment in the well. For that they are 100% to blame, and should be held accountable for ALL the damage caused, from the oil itself or the dispersants.

 

[skibum]

They were able to stuff a smaller pipe inside of the well to siphon off some of the oil. So why can't they let the Navy stuff a bomb about 200 feet down the damn thing and just blow it up? I think the mud, rocks, and other debris would shut it down.

And for the record, I think our own government, namely the EPA, and the environmentalist movement as a whole hold at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the blame. The exact same oil that BP was forced to go into mile deep water to get could also have been extracted from under only 200 feet of water closer to shore. The government and the environmentalists kept saying that it would be too unsightly, and that they didn't want an oil spill that close to the coast. Looks like that line of thinking completely backfired on all of us. Think about it. If the well was only 200 feet down instead of over a mile down, they could have sent divers down to cut and cap the bloody thing and been done in 3 days. What about ANWR, where they could have drove a crew over in a truck and had it capped off in mere hours?

I am freaking disgusted with these stupid people just want to say "no oil from anywhere", but yet not a single one of them can show us a viable alternative that would completely replace oil. Wind and solar power can't even come close to the efficiency, portability, and practicallity of oil. When they get there, we can stop drilling. But since we can't, open up ANWR and the shallower waters offshore where we could correct problems when they happen.

I burn 14 GPH. I need BP and the other oil companies to keep drilling. :huh:

 

[comsnark]

Ah yes. . . the environmentalists are to blame.

We have equipment to deal with problems 200' down, but not 5000' down: Therefore -> the environmentalists are the problem.

:smt101

The problem here is not oil demand. The problem here is not environmentalists.

Look. . . you don't have to be a tree hugging liberal homosexual to see that something went seriously wrong on this rig.

Never mind the oil spill. 11 people died. It is self evident something went wrong, and a full investigation is warrented for that reason alone.

Nobody outside of BP really knows the facts at this point, but if I were to speculate I would speculate that there were some serious lapses in the safety protocols and equipment testing. From what I hear, this was a preventable accident and the owners/operators of this rig had the wrong balance of safety and operation. They skimped on testing, and because they didn't proactively look for problems, the equipment didn't work when it needed to work.

It's like water impellers on outdrives. You proactively inspect / replace impellers before you reactively replace the engine.

Many people, and companies, fail to strike the right balance of "preventive maintenance" vs. "reactive maintenance". It's a challenge. In this case, if I were to speculate, I would say they messed up the balance bad. I am not going to bash the industry. . because I think with the right engineering you can get the job done both safely, cleanly, and profitably. But from what I hear, this company has a problem. And guess what. . .if you don't do it right; you are not safe, clean or profitable.

There was another rig once that had a problem, where production outweighed safety considerations. The Piper Alpha incident. In that case, workers continued to send oil from one rig to an adjacent rig that was visibly on fire. They shut down the pumps after the pipeline failed resulting in a fairly large explosion. The explosion caused casualties on adjacent rescue boats. I guess the environmentalists were to blame here as well.

167 people died.

- - - -

I would draw an example from the nuclear industry. There was a real difference in the engineering between Three Mile Island and Chernobyl (SIC). In one case, half the complex is still running making power today. In the other case. . .the adjacent city had to be abandoned.

- - - -

BP stock has taken a huge beating in the markets. I would not consider this an opportunity to buy BP stock.

 

[skibum]

I didn't say ALL of the blame, but some of the blame. We can either quit using oil and go back to the stone age, or we can use oil while we advance our technology. Is there any doubt that we will find either suitable alternative sources of energy, or better ways to use oil so that we consume much less of it in say, the next 50-60 years? I have no doubt. We will advance technologically on our own. There is no need to supress the use of the only readily available resource that is capable of powering our society from where it is now to the clean energy age that we so desire. My point is that just telling us we can't drill for it, transport it, or use it is not going to help our society advance ourselves to the next level.

An analogy would be if the US Government had set up air traffic control at Kitty Hawk, and then permanently refused to grant permission for takeoff to Wilbur and Orville. If that had happened, and we were still walking in 2010, your analogy would be like saying that those lousy bicycle companies conspired to keep man on the ground.

As I said, only 1/3 to 1/2 of the blame goes to the government and the environmental movement for forcing the oil companies to drill in locations where correcting a problem is 5 times more difficult than it ought to be. I am sorry, but this is a truth, and we are now seeing the consequences. And yes, I believe that either BP as a whole, or an individual employee of BP is responsible for what happened on their rig. However, accidents happen. I do not believe BP intentionally caused this problem. This mess is going to cost them billions. They knew that long before they ever spun a drill bit. I am certain that they took every precaution that they could if for no other reason than to avoid being in the financial, political, and public relations mess that they are in right now. I do trust them to protect their own wallets. They are good at that. There is no way that they would have exposed themselves to this by cutting a few corners.

I believe that this was just one huge gas pocket larger than any ever seen before that the equipment just wasn't set up to deal with. I also believe that the rig personnel did not realize the size and scope of the problem that they were having until it was too late. Bottom line is that I think the personnel on the rig made a bad call when it mattered and they paid with their lives. BP and the rest of us are going to pay for it. Nobama already said that he is going to raise taxes on the oil companies. He still hasn't attended economics 101. Companies don't pay taxes - CUSTOMERS do. Last I checked, I am an oil company customer and I have no plans on changing that. Thanks Obama. BP, you, and the environmentalists screw up and then you screw me to make up for it.

And just one question: Why in the world would Obama make Elizabeth Birnbaum (former BP executive) director of the U.S. Minerals Management Service? She was in charge of regulating the oil companies. Was Obama the bonehead, or one of his staff?

 

[comsnark]

Well, one thing is certain: The politicians and professional pot stirrers are now involved. Once that happens -> you can be assure that the actual *facts* about the events will be become harder and harder to find.

What I do know is that in the oil industry, like any other industry, not all companies are created the same.

As for how the US should address energy policy: Oh my, that is a topic for another day! There is lots of meat there. My opinion is that I have not heard anything intelligent from the politicians -or the talking heads- on this topic for years.

 

[Tonka Boater]

BP is 100% responsible. No other way to look at it. They own it, they chose to drill 1 mile deep, they are responsible for their workers, they are responsible for the recovery plans. I am not a tree hugger by any stretch of the imagination but the way they have handled this is almost criminal in my mind.
.

 

[comsnark]

As I said, only 1/3 to 1/2 of the blame goes to the government and the environmental movement for forcing the oil companies to drill in locations where correcting a problem is 5 times more difficult than it ought to be. I am sorry, but this is a truth, and we are now seeing the consequences.

The more I think about this statement, the more I disagree with it.

Environment and government is the reason that the platforms are in deep water is a part I agree with. But once a platform is in deep water, it is the FULL responsibility of the OPERATOR to get the job done in a safe, clean, and profitable manner.

If they can't do it safely, cleanly, and profitably, then the operator should not be out there. PERIOD.

Afterall -> this isn't an "emergency service". This is not "charity". This is a company going after profit. If you need to develop the technology to do it. . then you develop the technology. If you don't have the technology -> then don't be in this buisness.

Of course mistakes happen. To say mistakes don't happen is irresponsible. That is why you PLAN for mistakes. If your plans are inadqequate. . again. . that is a responsibility of the operator. I work in the chemical industry. Believe me. . . we spend ALOT of time thinking about when things go wrong. We don't think "IF something goes wrong"; we think "WHEN something goes wrong".


If this drives the cost up. . . -> then yes the people who put them out there are to blame. But just because it is "difficult" or "expensive" does not excuse a profit making company from making sure the entire operation is safe and clean.

 

[highslice]

I'm surprised Chaney hasn't been blamed yet, since it was a Haliburten blow back preventor that failed. And the early reports said that there was a known defect in that specific piece of equipment.

BP has a real claim against the owner and operator of the drilling rig.

Unfortunately, the real end result will be higher taxes on us and more communism. Robert Reich actully used the words "...it merely involves the US government taking over BP's north american operations...". MERELY! You are talking about French style socialism at the least.

 

[comsnark]

If there is a KNOWN defect. . then the OPERATOR has an obvious responsibility for to either (a) have a specific plan to deal with the failure of that equipment or (b) not operate.

Wait. . you are saying Robert Reich is advocating socialism? What is his job again? Oh right. . .a political commentator. I hadn't heard this comment. Probably because I don't listen to enough Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh.

I often wonder if the political commentators are more damaging to this country than class action lawyers.

Now you do bring up a VERY interesting legal point: The "owner / operator" is not BP, but rather another company. I wonder how much that really insulates BP from this mess. At least at a public level. . .not so much.

 

[skibum]

I guess it is just impossible to get some people to see that without the life blood of industry, we will slip back into being a pre-industrial society. Only one more step, and we can all get jobs advertising for Geico - selling club insurance.

Progressive government yields regressive society. The laws of nature always apply - equal and opposite.

 

[chuck1]

We have a condo that is strictly a rental outside of Gulf Shore Al and as of today, we have lost $5,400 in rentals since this started. This is $5,400 documented, already pre-rented then backed out because of the oil spill.

Make sure to send in your claim to BP. I heard today that they are paying Realtors for deals that fell through.:huh:

 

[highslice]

If there is a KNOWN defect. . then the OPERATOR has an obvious responsibility for to either (a) have a specific plan to deal with the failure of that equipment or (b) not operate.

Wait. . you are saying Robert Reich is advocating socialism? What is his job again? Oh right. . .a political commentator. I hadn't heard this comment. Probably because I don't listen to enough Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh.

I often wonder if the political commentators are more damaging to this country than class action lawyers.

Now you do bring up a VERY interesting legal point: The "owner / operator" is not BP, but rather another company. I wonder how much that really insulates BP from this mess. At least at a public level. . .not so much.

Actually I heard it on the Communist News Network.:thumbsup:

I don't listen to Rush or Beck (Beck scares the $hit out of me). I form these opinions all on my own:smt021.

I imagine that someone besides BP will end up paying at the end of the day. Unlike NObama who is only interest in grand standing, BP seems to understand that placing blame isn't the most important thing right now - there'll be plenty of time for that latter.

 

[Ka1oxd]

Until such time that corporations are held accountable for their actions, penalized heavily for corporate greed and extreme risk staking, have the current laws enforced against them, corporations will keep running the company expecting the US citizen and the government to bail them out for their bad decisions.