This whistleblower oil worker from Alaska, Mike Mason, exposes the fact that BP’s BOP (blowout preventer) tests aren’t done correctly, if they are done at all.   If they take shortcuts like this “to cut corners”, what’s the point of these safety measures?

BP is not a company that needs to save money on testing, and the state inspectors are only present half the time. This is like a drunk driver who only gets fined an amount they can afford, versus going to jail — they will likely be repeat offenders. The oil companies will just keep “cutting corners” until some law that is backed up with some very heavy fines is put into effect.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are doing what they can to protect BP, according to MSNBC. They are determined to defeat any legislation that raises the amount that BP and Transocean are liable for in this disaster. Senator Lisa Murkowski, campaign recipient of more than $400,000 in donations, argued during senate hearings that “mom and pop” oil drillers would be hurt by new laws that would protect the environment, the ocean, and all people on earth. Who are “mom and pop” oil drillers? I’m aware of some of them in 3rd world countries, but they aren’t drilling off the shores of the United States.

Causing the disaster: A dead battery, a loose fitting, and modifications that disabled a key portion of the blowout protector. Regulators at a hearing today testified that the BOP was designed, manufactured and installed without any government oversight whatsoever. None of this is even remotely acceptable, but I found something else even more disturbing when I was watching the Congressional hearings on CSPAN, from yesterday. According to what was said by our members of Congress at this hearing, there is no political or other intention to stop using oil and gas, ever, within the U.S. government that is evidence anywhere. We will use dirty, damaging, polluting fossil fuels until they are  gone, if we survive climate change that long.

BP has a criminal record for many things described on this video at MSNBC. Why have any cap at all on their criminal activities?

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