Top Kill: Choking the BP Oil Spill

The next attempt by BP to finally put a stop to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will be a process known as a “Top Kill,” in which heavy mud and cement are fired into the leaking well to slow the flow of oil.

Once again, a process meant to stop the flow of oil could actually make it worse. If the Top Kill procedure fails, the flow of oil could increase for a period of time. If this happens, BP said they will install another containment device right away.

Okay…and when that fails?

If this is not BP’s last attempt at a solution, it should be. Every try BP has made to curb the flow of oil has only proven how unprepared they are for the situation. Even the solution that actually worked is not doing enough to make a real difference.

Until now, BP has taken most of the attention, but rightly so.  Now, it’s the U.S. Government’s turn.

By leaving BP in charge of the spill with very little supervision, the Obama Administration is as responsible for this disaster as BP. At this point, too much time has passed for the Government to just be entering the picture in a major way.

The complexities of the spill, the ensuing lawsuits, and the impending industry changes have all come together to create one major distraction for the organizations in charge of improving this situation NOW.

It’s a shame that the U.S. Government is distracted as well, ignoring the fact that the company in charge of this major crisis is failing miserably.

Does the Obama Administration believe that they can avoid serious criticism if enough blame is placed on BP?

If your child breaks a sink in the house and doesn’t have the ability to fix it, do you force them to fix it anyway and act like they are doing a good job? Of course not.

An example of wasted time, wasted effort, and plain old ignorance: There are hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of hair sitting in large warehouses in coastal states near the spill, but none of it will be used. Originally, massive booms were going to be made from the hair, but more recent conclusions pointed toward possible dangers in using the hair. Therefore, it is all useless, as well as the time, effort, and money it took to compile the resources.

This is just one example of many proving that BP had a pathetic recovery plan, if any. While oil is gushing into the gulf at unprecedented rates, the oil giant is executing plans that have no proven success.  In fact, they have created multiple plans, including the hair booms, that would have actually worsened the situation.