Bp, in completing the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, which cheap construction created the blowout and oil spill last year, report says. The explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon was a failure of the cement at the base of the 18,000 foot-deep well that was supposed to contain oil and gas instead. The human and mechanical errors that followed created natural gas to build up pressure that caused an explosion killing 11 members of the crew and an oil spill which took 87 days to control. The report concluded that BP was responsible for the accident and the chief contractors, Transocean and Halliburton are responsible for the fatal mistakes. The Justice Department is currently conducting a criminal investigation that could bring indictments and many fines. Though there had been questions in the past whether the oil spill was directly related the BP’s actions, the report leaves no question that there were human errors and overlooked problems, all of which could have been avoided if BP was not in a rush to complete their Macondo well last year. Instead, now work has halted completely and men are worse because of it.
This article brings into light the real events of last year’s oil spill due to BP. There is hope in seeing that many of the people responsible for short-cuts and poor mechanisms and overlooking the issue of built-up pressure will be held responsible for their actions and will face criminal charges. BP has suffered unpopularity after their oil spill, and have issued apologies and know their own place in this fatal mistake, but just understanding that one is wrong is not the same as coming to reconciliation, and due to the legal actions, hopefully BP will not be so quick to use damaging short-cuts in the future. However, they seem to be fully aware of errors made and even more compromising with the legal action, which will follow. BP is aware that deaths have been caused due to poor judgment, and are ready to face their consequences.
This article paints BP in too positive of a light. They have caused death and destruction, which is unforgivable, but John Broder feels no need to go into the true disaster at the Macondo well last year and just openly says the BP will be willing to face any sort of legal action because they are aware of their wrongs. BP caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and it has taken a year to discover that they were the actual cause behind said oil spill, when they have undoubtedly known about their own mistakes for the entirety of that time. Instead of portraying BP has an upstanding company ready to face any troubles they might have for the death of 11 of their workers, Broder should be much more harsh as to say it is the fault of BP and no penance will ever allow those workers back to this world, and that oil spill which now needs to be cleaned up has caused even more damage.
Sweet article gcons:
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Review of the Review
I believe that Grace did a fantastic job dissecting this particular article into forms that the class can easily comprehend. One aspect of the review that Grace excelled in was her review in what actually caused the spill. The majority of the public new that it was Bp’s fault due to overlooked problems, but did not know how the explosion actually happened. I now have a clearer understanding of how the cement at the bottom of the 18,000 foot-deep well failed and lead to a build up of natural gas, which eventually exploded. Another component that Grace clearly explained was how many groups are at fault here. It has taken a year to fully understand the legalities of the disaster. Not only is BP at fault, but also the head contractors Transocean and Halliburton, whose poor design lead to a spill that took 89 days to control and still more to understand the long term effects of the spill. Lastly, Grace showed us how the writer of the article, John Broder, was too kind to BP and put them in too much of a positive light. He writes that BP has faced the consequences, but makes light of a spill that caused 11 deaths, environmental destruction, and put hundreds of other people out of jobs.
I felt that the review was almost perfect. However, one part that I would improve upon would be maybe to quote John Broder in his article showing how he was too gentle on BP. This would prove Grace’s point even more. Another small detail that I would add would be maybe how the CEO of BP responded if that was present in the article. This would have shown the shear embarrassment that BP faced. Couples with statistics and a decrease in sales at BP gas stations would accurately show the true feelings of the American people.
I was impressed with Grace’s detailed review of the article and her thorough understanding of the topic at hand. This made the assignment more enjoyable because I was able to understand the topic and share some of the opinions that Grace stated.