Skip to main content

Today's Poll: Should there be criminal charges brought against BP officials?

By Howard B. Owens
Kim Grant

If its proven that they cut corners, I would put them on the beaches with nothing but a pail in one hand and a shovel in the other just for their greed alone. Then let the fines add up from there.

Jun 4, 2010, 10:21am Permalink
Dave Olsen

It's probably the only way to make sure BP cleans up its mess. Exxon dragged their lawsuits out until 2008 19 years after the Exxon Valdez incident and got the punitive amounts dropped. I've said that BP should be held fully responsible for this, in our "best justice money can buy" legal system, a wealthy corporation can appeal over and over if they have to. There's going to have to be a hammer held over their heads. Personal criminal charges and suspension of the right to do business in the US, until the President of the US is satisfied, ought to do it.

Jun 4, 2010, 10:39am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

The government should bring criminal stupidity charges against themselves for forcing oil companies to drill further and further off shore. We have significant oil reserves closer to shore and on dry land that would be far less risky to develop but our government prohibits drilling in these areas. So oil companies are forced to drill deeper and deeper and locate offshore platforms and refineries in an area that is regularly impacted by hurricanes, brilliant.

Jun 4, 2010, 11:09am Permalink
Dave Olsen

Richard, Yes, the government over-regulates oil & gas drilling and more could be drilled on land. BP accepted those risks when THEY, not anyone else, decided to drill where they did. If they thought it was too risky, then they shouldn't have done it, that's prudent business. I don't want to hear about increased demands and stupid government forcing these companies into risky situations, they did it for one reason and one reason only. Profit. That's not a bad thing, but sometimes things go wrong, just like the banking industry, and too bad when it does. No bail-outs and no blame game, suck it up.

Jun 4, 2010, 11:28am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

Don't kid yourself the government gets their fair share of the billions in cash as well (heh heh).

Regulations such as the DWRRA offer incentives to pursue natural gas and oil in areas where it may be economically infeasible to drill otherwise. There are also rules that ensure the equitable distribution of the revenue. Depending on the location of the lease area, revenue is divided among affected coastal States, the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund, the National Historic Preservation Fund, and the U.S. Treasury.

Jun 4, 2010, 12:36pm Permalink
tom hunt

From everything I have read on the subject, all the easy to get oil has been got. Oil companies have to drill deeper in more inhospitable areas of the World to recover this vital resource. BP wasn't doing anything illegal by deep drilling in the Gulf Coastal Plain. It was victimized by the lack of maintenance, poor contingency planning probably caused by over zealous Bean Counters trying to maximize the Company's profit margins.

Jun 4, 2010, 2:00pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

Why don't they have contingency plans for such catastrophic screw ups, Maybe drill the relief wells to almost completion in the event something like this could happen. Yeah I know, it would cost to much, and the price of gas would go up. Well in case you haven't noticed, the price goes up every time an oil exec. farts.

Jun 4, 2010, 4:12pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

One of the aspects of this tragedy that seems to have been buried it that 11 people lost their lives. If BP is found to have been negligent in their actions and those actions contributed directly to the deaths, then criminal charges should be brought. What we should not do is call for heads before the investigation is complete. This does not need to be another "Cambridge police acted stupidly" only on a grander scale.

Jun 4, 2010, 5:11pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Jeff, I agree it is a tragedy to the 11 families who lost someone, that can never be made right. This isn't the stupid Cambridge thing on a grander scale though. Lives were lost, the environment around the gulf of Mexico has been damaged, livelihoods have been stopped, a lot of money has been spent, someone's got to pay and unless BP is forced to I believe they will try to weasel out of it. This is a risk and cost of doing business for them, even if it was just an accident and I don't think anyone believes it was unpreventable.

Jun 4, 2010, 6:59pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

my Cambridge reference was about lashing out before all the facts are in. I think in the end BP will be found at fault, but the Administration jumped out of the gate right away playing corporate blame when there are many other factors that led to the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Jun 4, 2010, 9:01pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

I agree with Jamie. We need to be doing a lot more to bring sustainable alternative energy to the market.
Using corn to produce ethanol is fine and all but that affects the cost of a lot of things cause corn is used for everything.

Jun 4, 2010, 11:14pm Permalink
George Richardson

Man, I sure like my lithium battery powered WORX Trimmer Edger with the thirty minute charger. For regular trimming there is a guide that keeps your line from breaking and the company sends 6 spools of replacement line for $6 shipping and handling whenever you want them to. It's about a $160 on Amazon but I'm very pleased because I hate having to mix gas and oil, and the smell, and disposing of old gas and oil. Lithium batteries perform at peak until they need recharging, they don't wear down gradually. Ok, that's enough of my unpaid testimonial about the WORX battery operated 2in1 edger trimmer. I don't sell them and I'm strictly an unbaised (in this case only) consumer/reviewer. But, it friggin' WORX like they say, and I'm not used to that.

Jun 5, 2010, 10:06pm Permalink

Authentically Local