Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1231

BP CEO Hayward says he's tough: "So far I'm unscathed…. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." - And yet he steps aside from daily cleanup oversight, gets his old life back: "I don't work weekends.… And I take all my hol

BP is to hive off its Gulf of Mexico oil spill operation to a separate in-house business to be run by an American in a bid to isolate the "toxic" side of the company and dilute some of the anti-British feeling aimed at chief executive Tony Hayward, the company said today.

The surprise announcement was made during a teleconference with City and Wall Street analysts….

Ah, but the UK's Guardian says cut-and-run Hayward thinks he is a tough guy –  assuming tough guys actually talk like...

BP CEO Hayward says he's tough: "So far I'm unscathed…. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." - And yet he steps aside from daily cleanup oversight, gets his old life back: "I don't work weekends.… And I take all my hol

BP is to hive off its Gulf of Mexico oil spill operation to a separate in-house business to be run by an American in a bid to isolate the "toxic" side of the company and dilute some of the anti-British feeling aimed at chief executive Tony Hayward, the company said today.

The surprise announcement was made during a teleconference with City and Wall Street analysts….

Ah, but the UK's Guardian says cut-and-run Hayward thinks he is a tough guy –  assuming tough guys actually talk like...

BP CEO Hayward says he's tough: "So far I'm unscathed…. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." - And yet he steps aside from daily cleanup oversight, gets his old life back: "I don't work weekends.… And I take all my hol

BP is to hive off its Gulf of Mexico oil spill operation to a separate in-house business to be run by an American in a bid to isolate the "toxic" side of the company and dilute some of the anti-British feeling aimed at chief executive Tony Hayward, the company said today.

The surprise announcement was made during a teleconference with City and Wall Street analysts….

Ah, but the UK's Guardian says cut-and-run Hayward thinks he is a tough guy –  assuming tough guys actually talk like...

BP CEO Hayward tells media he's tough: "So far I'm unscathed…. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." - And yet he steps aside from daily cleanup oversight, gets his old life back: "I don't work weekends.… And I take all

BP is to hive off its Gulf of Mexico oil spill operation to a separate in-house business to be run by an American in a bid to isolate the "toxic" side of the company and dilute some of the anti-British feeling aimed at chief executive Tony Hayward, the company said today.

The surprise announcement was made during a teleconference with City and Wall Street analysts….

Ah, but the UK's Guardian says cut-and-run Hayward thinks he is a tough guy –  assuming tough guys actually talk like...

Flashback: In 2000, Vitter proposed legislation to reduce criminal liability of oil companies for spills

This week, Attorney General Holder announced the Obama administration had opened criminal and civil investigations into the companies involved in the Gulf oil disaster.  Officials said they were looking into potential violations of the Oil Pollution Act [OPA:] of 1990, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

But if Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) had his way, BP and its partners would have been off the hook for violations of all but the weakest of U.S. laws.  TP has the story in...

The Prelude to Cheney's Katrina

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's National Energy Policy Task Force concluded in May 2001 that "advanced, more energy efficient drilling and production methods: reduce emissions; practically eliminate spills from offshore platforms; and enhance worker safety, lower risk of blowouts, and provide better protection of groundwater resources." At that time, with two oilmen in the White House and two more Texans leading an emboldened Republican majority in the House of Representatives...

Energy and Global Warming News for June 4: EPA sets first new limit on sulfur dioxide in decades; China spends $34.6 billion on renewables; Coulomb Tech will install nearly 5,000 EV charging stations

EPA sets first new limit on sulfur dioxide in decades

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday set a new health standard that coal-fired power plants and other industries will have to meet on sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that triggers asthma attacks and causes other respiratory problems.

The EPA set the new standard within a range that an independent panel of scientists suggested. This marks the first time the standard has been changed since the original one was issued in 1971.

The...

The pictures BP doesn't want you to see.

Yesterday, AP photographer Charles Riedel filed these disturbing images of the effect the BP oil disaster is having on Gulf Coast birds:

BP has been working to keep journalists away from the region, but the situation appears to be improving, according to yesterday's Washington Post.  Ultimately, the press gets the story and efforts to block coverage always backfire.

Reid calls for swift, sweeping energy bill

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is calling on the Senate's key committee leaders to come up with a comprehensive energy strategy by July 4, accelerating the push for legislation in wake of the worst oil spill in American history.

Reid demanded "swift" action from Democrats "to address both the existing situation and to reduce the risks of such a catastrophe happening again."

That's the Politico story on the letter Reid wrote Thursday to "Committee leaders Max Baucus, Jeff Bingaman...

BP and Halliburton build legal teams, attempt to buy off government officials

Facing possible jail time for their roles in the largest oil spill in American history, BP and Halliburton are building high-powered legal teams with "deep Department of Justice and White House ties." But the companies are pursuing other means to defend themselves as well, as TP explains in this repost.

Halliburton's campaign donations have spiked as it tries to curry favor with key members of Congress investigating the disaster. The company donated $17,000 in May, making it "the