BP Didn't Plan for Major Oil Spill

(CBS/AP)  Updated at 11:26 p.m. ET

British Petroleum once downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at an offshore rig that exploded, causing the worst U.S. oil spill in decades along the Gulf Coast and endangering shoreline habitat.

In its 2009 exploration plan and environmental impact analysis for the well, BP suggested it was unlikely, or virtually impossible, for an accident to occur that would lead to a giant crude oil spill and serious damage to beaches, fish and mammals.

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"The sort of occurrence that we've seen on the Deepwater Horizon is clearly unprecedented," BP spokesman David Nicholas told The Associated Press on Friday. "It's something that we have not experienced before ... a blowout at this depth."

BP's 52-page exploration plan for the Deepwater Horizon well, filed with the federal Minerals Management Service, says repeatedly that it was "unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities."

And while the company conceded that a spill would impact beaches, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas, it argued that "due to the distance to shore (48 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected."

Robert Wiygul, an Ocean Springs, Miss.-based environmental lawyer and board member for the Gulf Restoration Network, said he doesn't see anything in the document that suggests BP addressed the kind of technology needed to control a spill at that depth of water.

"The point is, if you're going to be drilling in 5,000 feet of water for oil, you should have the ability to control what you're doing," he said.

Although the cause of the explosion was under investigation, many of the more than two dozen lawsuits filed in the wake of the explosion claim it was caused when workers for oil services contractor Halliburton Inc. improperly capped the well — a process known as cementing. Halliburton denied it.

According to a 2007 study by the federal Minerals Management Service, which examined the 39 rig blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico between 1992 and 2006, cementing was a contributing factor in 18 of the incidents. In all the cases, gas seepage occurred during or after cementing of the well casing, the MMS said.

While the amount of oil in the gulf already threatened to make it the worst U.S. oil disaster since the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989, one expert emphasized that it was impossible to know just how much oil had already escaped and that it could be much more than what BP and the Coast Guard have said.

Even at current estimates, the spill could surpass that of the Valdez — which leaked 11 million gallons — in just two months.

Ian R. MacDonald, an oceanography professor at Florida State University, said estimates from both Coast Guard charts and satellite images indicate that 8 million to 9 million gallons had spilled by April 28.

"I hope I'm wrong. I hope there's less oil out there than that. But that's what I get when I apply the numbers," he said.

Coast Guard Admiral Mary Landry brushed off such estimates that suggested the rate of the leak was five times larger than official estimates.

"I would caution you not to get fixated on an estimate of how much is out there," Landry said. "The most important thing is from Day One we stood corralling resources from a worst-case scenario working back."

Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production, said it's impossible to measure the flow. But he said remote cameras show the rate doesn't appear to have changed since the leak was discovered.

"This is highly imprecise, highly imprecise," Suttles said. "We continue to respond to a much more significant case so that we're prepared for that in the eventuality that the rate is higher."

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[bonnie1010p]

Looks like BP didn't believe in "Murphy's Law". What can go wrong will go wrong. They should've had better insurance like Silverstein did on the World Trade Centers. He came out smelling like a rose.

[AlGoreCore]

This **** doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if they didn't know. No one in this day and age uses a little common sense anymore. It doesn't matter who's tax money. Or any of that ****.

This issue is greater than money. Greater than oil. This is about our Mother. And we're killing her - destroying her, and still only worried about ourselves?

When will man wake up? And HELP EACH OTHER. Not put blame on each other. Not point fingers, but grab hands, and hold hands, and walk down there and ALL do something?

For The People, By the people. Helping, working, striving.

Where has mankind gone? If God was here, he'd tell it to your face, Man, you're some kind of sinner.

Damn you all.

[legba131]

Yeah, and the Titanic was "unsinkable."

[mary-miami]

At this point, it doesn't matter whether or not they anticipated a "spill" or not...BP needs to clean up this mess. Lots of wildlife is being affected and that will after people everywhere not just in the coastal cities...All nature is connected to humankind...Thats why the environment is in such sorry shape.

[rickwar]

BP Didn't Plan for Major Oil Spill

Duh! Ya think?

[waterflaws]

THIS IS A MAN-MADE, PRIVATE SECTOR CAUSED, DISASTER.

There is NO TIME to wait for lawsuits to be settled and bickering over who's more at fault. BP and Halliburton should be expending ANY AND ALL RESOURCES NECESSARY to contain the spill, stop the leak, and clean it up. If it means they go broke doing it, so be it. It is a man-made, private sector disaster, and THEY are the ones responsible. And, for every day of delay, they should be punished with an appropriate fine - say $500 million per day. If they play the innocent victim, DOUBLE the fine.

[stupa5]

I know BP can ask Palin what to do to fix this disaster!

[ockham500]

BP, the company that owned the Louisiana oil rig that exploded last week, spent years battling federal regulators over how many layers of safeguards would be needed to prevent a deepwater well from this type of accident.

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon in this April 21, 2010 file photo.
(U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)One area of immediate concern, industry experts said, was the lack of a remote system that would have allowed workers to clamp shut Deepwater Horizon's wellhead so it would not continue to gush oil. The rig is now spilling 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico.

In a letter sent last year to the Department of the Interior, BP objected to what it called "extensive, prescriptive regulations" proposed in new rules to toughen safety standards. "We believe industry's current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs?continue to be very successful."

ABC NEWS
What more needs to be said...except the taxpayers will pay for the clean up...and higher gas prices...Yea for the Republicans

[waterflaws]

We (taxpayers) should not be required to bail out another private-sector company. We SHOULD be required to fine the devil out of them, and FORCE them to fix it QUICKLY!!

[ockham500]

The chief executive of Europe's largest oil company by production, BP Plc, enjoyed a 41 percent rise in total pay in 2009, even though profits dropped 45 percent.

Tony Hayward took home 4.01 million pounds ($6.03 million) in salary, cash bonus and share awards last year, up from 2.85 million pounds in 2008.
This is the same man who fought all federal regulations.
Funny how the poor man can't win against the government but the rich can.

[egresor]

this is NOT a disaster you are seeing unfold before your eyes

IT - IS - THE - FUTURE

now we see why the environmentalists have resisted off-shore drilling.

as long as america does NOT commit itself to green renewable energy like wind and solar (?) this story will play out again and again. until industry does for the oceans what it has done to places like west virginia and others.

why not spend 100 billion on constructing wind generators or other safe resources that don't destroy the environment when the inevitable accident occurs?

there is no reason to continue the madness of petroleum exploration. america rallied and send a man to to moon. that took place because of commitment. commitment of funds and the personnel to accomplish it.

as long as american dilly-dallies with the petroleum industry -

THIS - IS - THE - FUTURE

and when the new driling areas are opened up---all you coastal people can look forward to it happening in your neighborhood too.

action is the only thing politician listen too. when they feel the heat from the voters----they will respond. tell your representative to not allow these avoidable tragedies from happening again.

the solution is simple, but the courage to boldness is lacking.

:((