[corp-focus] BP CEO Supports a Boycott?

[Robert Weissman]

BP CEO Supports a Boycott?
By Robert Weissman
May 26, 2010

Does BP CEO Tony Hayward want millions of people to take the BP boycott =
pledge <www.beyondbp.org>?

Admittedly, it seems unlikely.

Yet, how else can you explain a company CEO who before and during what is =
now the worst oil spill in U.S. history provokes consumers with comments =
like this:

1. "We had too many people that were working to save the world." [1]

OK, this is one that actually came before BP's oil gusher, in a speech at =
Stanford Business School. Hayward explained how in 2007 he took over a =
company that was in crisis, following the explosion of its Texas refinery =
that killed 15 workers, a major oil spill in Alaska, a price-fixing case =
and other serious problems. Part of his diagnosis for the source of the =
company's problems, strangely, was that "we had too many people that were =
working to save the world." Not exactly what you might have expected led =
to problems with refinery safety, oil pipe maintenance and avoiding price =
conspiracies. (15:24=20

2. "What the hell did we do to deserve this?" [2]

Yes, Tony Hayward seems to think that BP is the victim of the oil spill =
catastrophe it created.

"Deserve" in this context is a strange sentiment. But if Hayward had asked =
what in the hell BP did to cause the disaster, emerging evidence suggests =
the answers are straightforward: recklessly proceed with extreme deepwater =
drilling that far exceeds the ability of industry to control problems; =
fail to invest properly in safety, including in relatively cheap safety =
equipment; fail to oversee its contractors sufficiently; and order =
drilling operations to skirt safety measures.

3. "It wasn't our accident. But we are absolutely responsible for the oil, =
for cleaning it up and that's what we intend to do =85 The drilling rig =
was a Transocean drilling rig, it was their rig and their equipment that =
failed, run by their people with their processes. But our responsibility =
is the oil and it is ours to clean it up." [3]

It increasingly seems the case that BP and its contractor Transocean, as =
well as Halliburton, another contractor working on the rig, all contributed=
 significantly to the disaster through negligence and malfeasance. But =
Hayward only gets it half right. It's BP's responsibility to clean up the =
oil, yes, but it was responsible for the rig, too. Even if the mistakes =
were all Transocean's -- which is not the case -- it is still BP's =
accident.


4. "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil =
and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total =
water volume." [4]

Yes, and a deadly dose of cyanide is tiny in relationship to a person's =
overall body mass.

Even more importantly, BP is putting far, far more oil into the Gulf of =
Mexico than it has admitted. Remember, the company first claimed only =
1,000 barrels were leaking a day. Then it increased its estimate five =
fold, to 5,000 barrels. Now it claims to be capturing 5,000 barrels, while =
the oil gusher appears to continue almost unabated. Independent scientists =
say the actual amount could be as much as 95,000 barrels a day, or more. =
That would be almost 4 million gallons, meaning the BP disaster is spewing =
an Exxon Valdez equivalent roughly every two and a half days.

5. "I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have =
been very, very modest." [5]

What is emerging as this disaster unfolds is that scientists have =
surprisingly little idea how it will play out. But a "very, very modest" =
impact is very, very unlikely. The risks to the shore and to deepwater =
sealife, of winding up in Gulf currents, and even of being exacerbated by =
hurricanes are profound. Even BP's remedial measures, notably the use of =
mass quantities of chemical dispersants, pose all kinds of uncertain =
environmental risks.

Tony Hayward doesn't want to admit that BP is responsible for the Gulf =
disaster, is spinning the disaster, and seems to think BP is a victim.

Tony Hayward needs to hear a message from consumers that they don't see =
the world as he apparently does. Take the BP Boycott Pledge: <www.beyondbp.=
org>.


[1] http://www.buzzbox.com/top/default/preview/kevin-grandia-bp-ceo-hayward=
-we-had-too-many-people-working-to-s/?id=3D1493414&topic=3Dpaul-szep%3Atony=
-hayward  (at 15:24)

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/business/30bp.html?pagewanted=3D1&hp=
=20

[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DrWJTAkyp46Y&feature=3Drelated=20

[4] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/13/bp-boss-admits-mistakes-=
gulf-oil-spill=20

[5] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eaf2442c-62dc-11df-b1d1-00144feab49a.html=20

Robert Weissman is president of Public Citizen, <www.citizen.org>.=20
(c) Robert Weissman=20
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