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Bp Oil Spill

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Submitted By alagha1
Words 1834
Pages 8
English 1001-065
Final Issue Analysis
Fall 2012
The BP Oil Spill On April 20, 2010, the Gulf of Mexico was changed forever. The explosion of a deepwater oil-drilling rig changed the lives of millions for years to come. The Gulf of Mexico as we knew it would be changed for decades to come after the mistakes made by the Deepwater Horizon’s crew that day. British Petroleum, the oil giant responsible for the disaster, left the American citizens of the Gulf Coastal region terrified and helpless. There were seventeen men injured in the explosion and eleven unaccounted for presumed dead, while hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico (BP Oil). The oil spill caused by the explosion may be recorded as one of the most catastrophic oil spills in history. This disaster served as a wake up call for the United States to seriously consider producing a well defined set of regulations for drilling in open waters. British Petroleum, although being originally founded in 1909, did not become one of the major competing oil companies until 1995 when John Browne became CEO of the company. Since this time BP has become a company that would violate laws involving regulation and cut numerous corners to create greater profit. When compared to Chevron and other oil companies, British Petroleum has been accused of 518 or more than two times as many safety violations than any other company. Also between the years 2000 and 2009 the amount of oil BP spilled into the Gulf of Mexico equated to more than the amount Shell spilled, while Shell’s production from this region was twice BP’s (Lustgarten). Although most Americans may not have known, British Petroleum has a terrible track record with the with the law, as retired EPA attorney, Jeanne Pascal, knows very well. After following BP for 12 years for the EPA, Pascal experienced first hand the crimes this company

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