BP and the Macondo Spill The Complete Story

by Read, Colin

• ISBN13: 9780230293588
• ISBN10: 0230293581
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-06-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The complete story of the devastating BP oil spill of 2010. The author puts forward an objective account of what happened, a documentation of the true costs, not the hyperbolic costs, and an explanation of the science and business of the spill and its remediation.

Author Biography

In this book, Colin Read uncovers precisely what occurred during this most complex saga. While the various factors that contributed to an oil-damaged gulf and a financially ravaged BP are explored arid analyzed, the author looks deeper to better understand our increasing energy dependency and assesses the impact this will have on future generations.

Table of Contents

PART I: HISTORY - A BRIEF HISTORY OF OIL SPILLS
-Arabian Gulf
-Ixtoc I
-Atlantic Empress
-Fergana Valley
-ABT Summer
-Nowruz Field Platform
-Catillo de Bellver
- Amoco Cadiz
- MT Haven
-Odyssey
- Sea Star
- Morris J. Berman
- Irenes Serenade
- Urquila
- Torrey Canyon
- Montara

PART II: THE INDUSTRY - VARIOUS WAYS TO EXTRACT OIL
- where does oil come from?
- early extraction and shallow well
- offshore drilling
- deep sea drilling
- the complication of combined oil and gas at pressure
- the risks in perspective of drilling, transportation, refining, distribution, and consumption

PART III: WHAT HAPPENED - THE MACONDO SPILL
- history of the Macondo oil reservoir
- events leading up to the fire and spill
- partners in the spill
- early BP response
- U.S. Federal government response
- the science of determining the spill rate

PART IV: THE MEDIA - FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
- the first example of transparency at the ocean's floor
- a spill in clear view
- the role of the media
- an assumption of moral responsibility
- the public face of BP
- 24 hour news cycle

PART V: THE SCIENCE - ENGINEERING A SOLUTION
- what went wrong
- five contributing factors and their implications
- the effectiveness of various solutions
- deep sea dispersants
- the new phenomenon of subsea plumes
- when engineering meets politics

PART VI: POLITICS - A PARALLEL POLITICAL AGENDA
- a stalled U.S. energy bill
- concessions to offshore drilling in return for a filibuster proof energy bill
- a moratorium on drilling
- finger pointing
- Congress extracts a pound of flesh
- time to talk tough, heads must role

PART VII: BUSINESS - THE MARKET RESPONSE
- loss of value of BP stock
- exaggerated claims of cost and liability
- promise to pay all legitimate claims
- the $20B solution
- a special master and his scope
- talk of bankruptcy, merger and acquisition

PART VIII:- THE FIX - CAPPING AND ABATING THE SPILL
- a final solution
- the cleanup effort
- long term effects
- direct and indirect costs
- the human toll
- the effectiveness of compensation

PART IX: THE LAW - A COMPLICATED LEGAL LANDMINE
- statutory liability
- the Jones Act
- Who's in charge
- new laws in Congress can't be retroactive
- maritime oil spill law
- shareholder and class action suits

PART X: OUR ROLE - THE WORLD'S INSATIABLE NEED FOR ENERGY AND HYDROCARBON BASED FUELS
- we are all part of the problem
- past consumption
- demand from emerging nations
- future prospects
- all the easy oil has been tapped
- the economics of alternatives to hydrocarbons

PART XI: - CONCLUSION - WHERE TO GO FROM HERE