Blackmail

Congressman: BP Blackmailing U.S. Government

BP wants the federal government to meet its demand for continued access to oil and gas leases in the United States. If the oil giant can't keep drilling here, its promise to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon disaster might go unfulfilled—or so the company claims.

BP's fear-mongering is directed at the House-passed spill bill (officially known as the CLEAR Act), which would bar companies who repeatedly violate safety and environmental regulations from obtaining new leases to drill in US waters. If the CLEAR Act becomes law, BP is unlikely to get any new leases in the near future. . .

BP's behavior is riling a few in Congress. On Monday, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) accused the company of "openly blackmailing the American government." The company, he said in a statement, "should be held responsible not just for the damage it caused, but for its consistently indifferent attitude to that damage."

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) took to Twitter for his criticism: "BP threat to not pay damages if CLEAR Act is approved should be repudiated. Bill brings accountability & reforms to the leasing process."

OK, let me reset the Gulf oil disaster for you. I still think that the well was either purposely blown up by BP or that they chose a sub-standard design knowing that it would blow out, in order for the political pressure created by the oil spill to allow the criminal syndicate of Soetoro, Pelosi and Reid to get the carbon tax that BP wrote through Congress and signed into law. Even if you think, as most do, that the disaster was as a result of a string of accidents, the result is the same.

But BP did not get their carbon tax, as the popularity of Soetorobama and the Demoncats fell at a clip that stunned even seasoned D.C. pundits. So they put on the show of capping one well and pretending that no more oil and gas is leaking into Gulf waters. Except that it is, and that we don't even know the status of the other well the company claims they never built, but which I and others have caught on camera spewing oil and methane. Their gamble failed, in other words. BP figured that the probability of getting the carbon tax they wrote passed into law would outweigh the penalties and fines and damages from lawsuits that they would be responsible for. A few tens of billions in payouts to the government and victims of the oil spill pales in comparison to the amount of contracts BP would have gotten for their green energy programs.

But their gambit fell flat, the company's reputation is in ruins and Congress, in a rare act I agree with, is moving to pass new legislation denying new drilling permits to companies with sub-par safety records, i.e. BP. So this verminous, criminal company, which has already done so much damage to the economy, wildlife and people of the Gulf of Mexico, is doing what thugs often resort to when not getting their way. They are blackmailing the government, or attempting to, anyway. BP are claiming that they will not be able to pay all the compensation to victims of the oil disaster unless the government allows them to continue to explore and develop oil wells in the Gulf.

They are saying that unless Congress drops this proposed law, they will not pay out what they are going to be responsible for, once all the government investigations are over, and once the lawsuits brought by individuals and companies in the Gulf states start filtering through the court system. Whether this is blackmail in a technical, legal sense I doubt. But BP are clearly sending a message to the House, Senate, Soetorobama administration (not that they've been any threat) and the American people -- back off, leave us alone, let us drill even more in the future, or we'll stick you with the cost of the cleanup and compensation. De facto blackmail.

I have no idea what the legality of the U.S. government seizing BP would be. I don't agree with the nationalization of industry, as Soetoro did with Chrysler and G.M., and I don't think the government should take permanent control over BP. What I think should be done is for the government to temporarily seize the company, place it under the management of a group of oil experts drawn from other companies around the world, and operate it in receivership until such time as sufficient profits can be siphoned from the company to pay off everything it is responsible for.

The oil disaster is a national emergency and under the executive orders signed by the evil George W. Bush, the government can exercise virtually unlimited power when a national emergency is declared. I'm sure that Barry's teams of lawyers and hiss egghead Czars could figure out some way to legally take over BP and operate it using an independent board of overseers until its obligations are met. Then, when they have paid up in full, BP can be free to operate as it was before. Except I do believe the Congress should go ahead and pass their bill, effectively kicking BP out of the United States once their current wells dry up. No new wells for them. They have treated America and Americans with contempt and disdain. This blackmail is merely the latest insult.