British Petroleum was considered one of the major oil and gas companies in the world, before the oil spill of 2010. Why on earth would they fail to build with the best quality, safety and environmental concerns in mind is going to be the question humanity asks for years to come?
Having worked for Mobil Oil Company years ago in Texas, I can readily identify with the environmental problems looming in the Gulf of Mexico. Could it be a sign of the times that this oil spill took place?
Maybe, maybe not. Two short years ago during the 2008 presidential campaign the mantra was drill baby, drill. In other words, there was a political push about offshore drilling off the coast of Florida, North Carolina and other locations in America. Earth cannot afford another calamity like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
For all of its previous good leadership, management and reputation, BP has become the poster child for bad behaviour. Bad behaviour includes failing to adequately provide safeguards while developing the rig platform, taking shortcuts that led to safety violations and worst of all, the lost of 11 lives and injury to 17 people.
Sadly it is going to take time to figure out the long-term impact to the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. Could it be on the night BP was accepting a safety award that their oversight of the safety on the oil rig came home to roost. Surely I cannot believe a multinational oil and gas company like BP would attempt to maximize their bottom line at the risk of lost of life.
Greed is the word that comes to mind, now liability is the watch word. You would think that BP was a shining example of what not to do, however in my hearts heart, I do not think they believe they did anything wrong. In the end, BP is paying for their misdeeds at the pump, in that customers around the world are boycotting and protesting the Gulf Oil Spill crisis.
What BP has failed to do is put a human face on this devastating environmental crisis. The fact of the matter is, the families of the 11 people who died in the explosion will never, ever be the same again. The leadership of BP will get their gold watches, golden parachute with tons of money and the 11 families victimized by corporate pirates will suffer the losses for years to come.
We do not need another BP crisis, what we need is strong environmental leadership. America its time for us to press our legislators and leadership to never forget the ecological damage brought to our shores by the likes of BP.
Paul Lawrence Vann is a former employee of Mobil Oil Company and a expert on oil and gas. He is a professional speaker, leadership development and workplace development expert. Paul is author of Living on Higher Ground and is a talk radio show host. http://www.paullawrencevann.com, (240) 416-5077. |
