From Yahoo News:
BP's new boss says it's time for a "scaleback" in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Federal officials say there is no way the crude could reach the East Coast. And fishing areas are starting to reopen.
There were several signs Friday that the era of thousands of oil-skimming boats and hazmat-suited beach crews is giving way to long-term efforts to clean up, compensate people for their losses and understand the damage wrought. Local fishermen are doubtful, however, and say oil remains a bigger problem than BP and the federal government are letting on.
Other people contend the impact of the spill has been overblown, given that little oil remains on the Gulf surface, but Bob Dudley, who heads BP's oil spill recovery and will take over as CEO in October, rejected those claims.
"Anyone who thinks this wasn't a catastrophe must be far away from it," he said in Biloxi, where he announced that former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt will be supporting BP's Gulf restoration work.
....
As the work of plugging the well appears to reach the homestretch, so does much of the cleanup work. Relatively little oil remains on the surface of the Gulf, leaving less for thousands of oil skimmers to do.
Dudley said it's "not too soon for a scaleback" in the cleanup, and in areas where there is no oil, "you probably don't need to see people in hazmat suits on the beach."
He added, however, that there is "no pullback" in BP's commitment to clean up the spill.
I hope the new man in charge of BP, Bob Dudley, is serious about the commitment to clean up after the catastrophe. I hope he is our Dudley Do-Right, who will save us and not our Snidely Whiplash, who will tie us to the tracks when he gets the chance.
Oil remains in the Gulf, but most of it may now be underwater due to being mixed with dispersant. Some oil is still visible as you can see if you watch this segment from NBC's "Today Show" from a couple of days ago, as Bonny Shumaker takes NBC reporter Lisa Meyers on a plane ride over the Gulf. Meyers says of the oil, "...it could be washing up on the beach for weeks." I'll wager that oil will be washing up on the beach for more than weeks? To me, that statement seems wildly optimistic.
The 3500 wild creatures who have been found dead are perhaps only 10% of the number killed by the oil gusher. No one really knows the number, but it's far greater than 3500. I admire people like Bonny Shumaker, who continue to fight the good fight to save the Gulf and the coastline.
Cartoon from Wikipedia
Guess we'll learn why, aside from his having an American accent, Dudley got the job.
ReplyDeletewv "fists"
At least to me, the accent doesn't matter, but I suppose the appointment of Dudley is seen as good PR for the times. He went to BP from AMOCO, when the company was bought out, and AMOCO did not have a sterling reputation for safety. But, if Dudley gets the job done....
ReplyDeleteThe accent won't hurt. Think what corporate CEO's, not to mention right-wing politicians, get away with saying, day after day, just so they say it with a Yank accent. If Tony Hayward had "wanted his life back", without sounding like George III having a royal snit fit, and if he'd headed off to a rodeo in Texas, rather than an Isle of Wight regatta, he'd have stood a far better chance of making it though, job intact. Instead of which, for Americans, he put the "British Petroleum" into BP, How many Americans do you suppose knew what those initials stood for, just four months back?
ReplyDeleteIt is highly unlikely that Bob Dudley's priorities will materially differ from those of Tony Hayward's. They are both going to be concerned with BP and its share price above all else. That's the job. The cleanup comes second at best. That's what I think, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much hope for change, but I wanted to reference Dudley Do-Right.
ReplyDeleteMy children watched the cartoons on Saturday mornings. I'd tell them the night before, "Get up. Turn on the TV, and if you get hungry, fix yourselves a bowl of cereal," with the strong, but silent, implication that I should be left alone. I was shameless. I had to rush all the other days of the week, and I wanted a bit of peace on Saturday mornings.
I'm sure they were happy anyway, Mimi. After all, even if you had got them the bowl of cereal, they probably would have wanted to watch the cartoons. And it meant you stayed that bit saner for the rest of the week.
ReplyDelete"I hope the new man in charge of BP, Bob Dudley, is serious about the commitment to clean up after the catastrophe. I hope he is our Dudley Do-Right"
ReplyDeleteI dunno,Mimi... I've never really trusted men with comb-overs...
Just sayin'!!
Cathy, I don't think the kids were scarred by the missing mom early on Saturday mornings.
ReplyDeleteDoFW, welcome. Does Dudley's really count as a comb-over? His starts rather high on his head. I've seen comb-overs that start right above the ear. Now THAT takes some styling.
Perhaps a comb-down?
Nothing to say. Just moaning...
ReplyDelete