Nothing Like Talk of a Massive Oil Slick to Start Your Thursday Off Right

Douglas Brinkley is a noted presidential historian, beloved author, and I-Fave. But perhaps most importantly, he is a native New Orleanian who is ticked off about the BP oil slick that continues to gush in the Gulf of Mexico.

“BP was clueless and feckless about what to do,” said Brinkley of the oil company whose rig exploded nearly three weeks ago off the Gulf Coast. “They’ve had a bunch of disasters.”

He cited as examples a blow up in Texas City, Texas in 2005 that killed 14 men, and corroded pipes in Alaska that spilled oil all over the North Slope Tundra in 2006. “They were charged with criminal negligence, and it was a horrible scene,” said Brinkely.

The spill in the Gulf, as Brinkley sees it, is less about offshore drilling than it is about BP as a company. “It’s risen very fast, started making record profits, and just doesn’t adhere to the safety standards,” said Brinkley.

Though BP signed various waivers claiming they had a backup plan—“in the remote, one percent chance a spill ever occurred”—clearly, “they’re just winging it,” Brinkley added.

Since nothing BP has done to plug the leak has worked so far, Brinkley predicted the solution would come from the university research departments of America. “There are a lot of ideas trying to get governmental approval quickly,” he said.

One particular idea is to use a chemical solution to make the oil rise to the surface in a gooey, gel-like consistency. “Then you can just try to collect it from the surface of the Gulf, and it’ll do less long-term damage,” said Brinkley.

But at this point, he conceded nobody really has any idea what’s going on, and it remains unclear why BP did not start building a relief well immediately. Some blame can also be heaped on the Mineral Management Service, which is widely suspected to have been in bed with the oil industry, with regulators looking for perks and future employment. 

“They’re supposed to be a bit of a watchdog agency,” Brinkley said of the MMS, which Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced will be divided into two parts, one to collect money and another to monitor environmental safety in offshore drilling. “It always takes a disaster/catastrophe to get things back where it should be,” said Brinkley.

Other oil companies, like Exxon and Shell, are none too pleased with their colleague right now. “They’re quietly scapegoating BP,” Brinkley said.

This mega-spill also puts on pause President Obama’s plans to further explore offshore drilling opportunities, at least for now. And the effects, Brinkley predicted, will be felt at the pump this summer. “The cleanup bill is just going to be astronomical,” he said.

Thanks for brightening our day, Doug.

-Julie Kanfer