BP Refuses to Consider Grassroots Efforts

It’s been 22 days since BP’s leased and operated Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico causing a massive oil leak to spew, by conservative estimates, 5000 barrels a day (over 4 million gallons so far) into the Gulf. Plans to siphon the oil with containment domes have so far been unsuccessful. Drilling a relief pipe could take up to 3 months. But, the mad scramble in Houston, TX at BP’s Crisis Management office is to contain the media damage from this disaster.

BP’s public relations machine is exceptional, they’ve gone to Congress and blamed Haliburton and TransOcean. Essentially saying they lease this rig from TransOcean, Haliburton poured the concrete, it’s not BP’s fault at all. BP has done well to refocus public attention and control expectations. But most egregiously, they have refused to release video of the pipeline rupture,  Ed Lavandera from CNN reports,

CNN has asked BP repeatedly since the explosion for video of the leak but company officials will only tell us ‘they’ll look into it.’

While the media keeps reporting that the oil is about to make impact, or winds are holding oil a few miles off the coast of…, independent videos like this are trickling out on social networking sites, blogs, and through email chains.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXcjhN_wycA]

Residents and community groups are trying to get the word out, but how does one compete with a media relations campaign from one the worlds largest companies?

Heaping on the insults, BP run deepwaterhorizonresponse.org is publishing messages like this to citizen groups trying to lend a hand.

We are not using hair booms at this time but are using commercially available sorbent boom when possible. In a February 2010 NOAA field test, commercial sorbent boom absorbed more oil and much less water than hair boom. Widespread deployment of hair boom could exacerbate the debris problem. There is adequate supply of sorbent boom for now, but we do encourage ideas of alternative solutions by calling (281) 366-5511.

So far all alternative solutions have been rejected, but that won’t stop groups like Oiled Wildlife Rescue Volunteers, a facebook group started by Amanda Richardson Bacon of Alabama, who are collecting hairbooms and bails of hay to save their local marshes, beaches, and fishing grounds from contamination. BP’s refusal to work with community groups such as these shows they are open only to commercially available resources.

As BP sprays chemicals in the deep ocean to disperse and hide millions of gallons of crude on the sea floor, chooses only petroleum-based commercial booms for skimming and containment of surface oil, someone is making a killing on this disaster, but it’s not coastal residents. They’re being told their help’s not needed.

To help, please contact one of these groups.

Matteroftrust.org
Alabama Gulf Shores Zoo
Audubon Society
Sierra Club
Save Our Shores Foundation
Help Save the Gulf Shores
Oiled Wildlife Rescue Volunteers

There’s a lot more out there, just ask me!
ChrisBunny! Blog