Houston

Environment New Mexico: Latest Gulf Rig Explosion Should Prompt Permanent Ban on New Offshore Drilling

September 2, 2010 by Democracy for N...

At around 10:00 AM Eastern this morning, another oil rig exploded into in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Coast Guard reports, the accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy. Thirteen workers were on the rig at the time and all are reported to be safe.

In response to the latest oil rig catastrophe, Sanders Moore, advocate for Environment New Mexico, released the following statement urging an end to new offshore drilling and our dependence on oil:

“We are stunned to hear of yet another rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico -- President Obama should need no further wake-up call to permanently ban new drilling. He should drastically strengthen oversight of the existing offshore oil industry to prevent more accidents like the one today, but also permanently protect the coasts where we don’t drill now.

On Avoiding Blame, Part One, Or, Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Drill No Evil.

September 1, 2010 by Uppity Wisconsin

I am one of those people who will actually watch those boring, boring, hearings on C-SPAN that most of us flip right on past while watching TV, and this past week I’ve been watching one of the longer events the channel broadcasts...but it’s been far from boring.

The Coast Guard and what used to be the MMS were in Houston looking into what caused the Gulf oil spill and they’re taking testimony from representatives of the involved parties...and let me tell you, this is more than just an accident inquiry—it’s also a warm-up for the lawsuits that are surely going to follow.

We’ve had dozens of trial attorneys basically conducting a deposition process, witnesses who can teach a master course in “plausible unawareability”©, BP employees who have taken the Fifth and refused to testify at all, and, overseeing the entire process, a retired Federal District Court Judge and a Coast Guard Captain who might very well be on the way to trading his eagles for stars one day soon.

Do you really believe all those “we’ll make it right” BP commercials?

If you watch this hearing, that impression may well change.