Has Big Oil learned its lesson from the Gulf spill?

BP wants to resume drilling in the Gulf. Meanwhile, the operators of the Deepwater Horizon rig give its executives bonuses for the "best year for safety ever." Huh?

Best Opinion:  Village Voice, Daily Kos, TIME

It's less than a year since the April 20, 2010 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, but BP is reportedly already trying to start drilling there again. The oil giant, one of the leading producers in the Gulf before the accident, is said to be talking with U.S. regulators about resuming work as early as July — a report that energy secretary Ken Salazar has denied. It also emerged over the weekend that Transocean, the operators of the Deepwater Horizon rig, awarded its executives $2.8 million in bonuses for overseeing "the best year for safety ever" — though eleven workers were killed in the incident. Has Big Oil learned anything from the devastating accident of 2010?
 
BP's return was inevitable, but still unwanted: Renewed BP drilling in the Gulf, under "stricter safety regulations," was always "going to happen at some point," says Rosie Gray at The Village Voice. We couldn't reasonably expect BP to "dissolve the company and never drill for oil again," especially as Obama came out "in support of increasing domestic oil production" last week. That said, we didn't expect this move already. "Allowing BP to get back to business so soon is not a good look."
"BP wants to get back to drilling in Gulf of Mexico"

Transocean's bonuses were unacceptable: Despite 11 dead workers and the fact that millions of barrels of oil are still polluting the Gulf of Mexico, this company boasted, with a straight face, that it achieved an "exemplary statistical safety record," says Meteor Blades at the Daily Kos. "Once upon a time, such a statement would at least have brought red to the cheeks even of oil executives. Now, it merely adds green to their bank accounts."
"Eleven dead no obstacle to Transocean's annual 'safety' bonuses"

Put down your pitchforks. This isn't what it seems: Environmentalists got their "outrage fix" from the weekend's news, says Michael Lemonick at TIME, but it wasn't quite as bad as it appeared. The idea that BP will return to the Gulf this summer looks like "pure fiction." And, though it was insensitive for Transocean to make its announcement, the company did have its best safety year ever. People are killed on oil rigs all the time. "It just doesn't make the news." Statistically, it was possible for 11 workers to die "and still leave the company less scathed than in any other year."
"BP set to drill again in the Gulf! Or ... wait ..."

 

Is BP guilty of manslaughter?

Eleven workers were killed in the 2010 Gulf explosion that led to a devastating oil spill. Now federal prosecutors are considering manslaughter charges for BP managers

Almost a year after an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, federal prosecutors are considering legal charges. Eleven workers were killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20 last year... More

Is BP shirking responsibility for the Gulf spill?

The oil company released its internal investigation into the massive Gulf oil spill, and most of the fingers point outward

BP has released its findings on what went wrong leading up to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last spring, and the company doesn't seem ready to accept much of the blame. Of the eight major causes BP identifies, says the Guardian's Damian Carrington... More

Oil-eating microbes: Fact or fiction?

Government scientists say oil-devouring bacteria are making the BP oil spill "disappear." Does it matter that BP is funding the research?

An Aug. 24 study in the journal Science had great news for Gulf Coast residents: A newly discovered, voracious microbe is rapidly eating the oil spilled in the BP gusher. The specially adapted oil-eating bacteria are so effective, said lead researcher Terry Hazan... More

Should gas stations ditch the BP name?

As their sales tank, America's largely independent BP stations aren't sure they want to fly the oil-giant's colors anymore. Will BP let them rebrand?

Owners of BP stations across the country want to drop the name, "BP," after sales reportedly collapsed by up to 40 percent in the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill. BP has offered to help struggling stations by handing out cash, cutting credit card fees, and boosting... More

Was Tony Hayward 'demonized'?

The outgoing BP chief executive lashes out at the U.S. media — providing yet more evidence, some say, that he's inept at public relations 

It's official: BP CEO Tony Hayward will step down in October to make way for his American successor, BP exec Bob Dudley. When Hayward announced his departure, he took a shot at the U.S. media, saying he had been "demonized and vilified" as the "public face" of... More