The American Hypocrisy

On April 20th of 2010, a massive explosion occurred on the now infamous Offshore Drilling platform “Deepwater Horizon”, in the Gulf of Mexico just 64 miles away from the US coast, killing 11 American workers on the British Petroleum’s (BP) leased rig. Ten days later on April 30, 2010 an even bigger explosion occurred in Washington D.C, in the White House as President Obama not only took a dim view of the events but lambasted BP for the accident. Later after ordering an enquiry into the accident he publicly stated that BP would be punished for the biggest environmental disaster in American history and would not use taxpayer’s money of an already weak economy recovering from the financial crisis to clear this spill up. On the face of it one might be misguided into saying that Obama again has stuck to his ‘campaign of change’ in the run up to his elections as he sounded more like a Greenpeace Volunteer than a seasoned statesman. Soon enough this farce was found out to be merely a cry of a frustrated government fast losing the euphoria that brought it to power.

The Deepwater Horizon’s project was sanctioned by the US Department of the Interior in 2008 and after several such explosions and leaks that are common on a rig proceeded to dig a fatal oil well five months behind schedule. The American media has reported that BP officials was putting pressure on the rig operators TransOcean to speed up operation and in the process use riskier procedures that may result in a “blowout”, a sudden gas release from the well which could be catastrophic. All this suddenly seems a straightforward story of a greedy ‘evil’ corporation apparently blatantly flouting the rules to make a bigger profit. Except one forgets who this British company caters to and who are its shareholders; well, 40% is owned by Americans and American institutions. The USA is the biggest consumer of oil in the world and is a country whose demands are constantly pulling the oil prices up therefore pushing non OPEC countries to produce more and more oil from increasingly dangerous places using even more dangerous techniques such deep offshore drilling. There also seems to be no letting up of this trend as Americans are happy to be associated to the phrase- gas guzzlers, with one political commentator quite rightly pointing out, “Heck, your President travels in a 747 when a Gulf Stream would do just fine and be cheaper!”

About a week after Obama’s rage another event happened right here in India, where a Bhopal Court convicted board members of a erstwhile American chemical company conveniently forgotten by the USA- Union Carbide. This company only brings angry emotions from residents of Bhopal who have suffered for over 25 years the apathy of the Indian government who sees the event as a scar that can drive away future investments and the absolute indifference from the American government. The then CEO of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson looked into the safety of the Indian plant as well during its inspection. Documents clearly show that designs and procedures were altered no ends to cut costs and improve profitability thus making in hindsight human loss secondary to financial loss. It is an obvious notion that Mr. Anderson used his ‘privileged’ position of being an American to flee the country and escape incarceration. Furthermore the Bhopal Gas Disaster is the worst industrial disaster in the world resulting in the direct loss of life of atleast 2300 people, while the Deepwater Horizon disaster cost the lives of 11 men. Oh! Yes I forgot to mention the flora and fauna affected by the disaster on Louisianan coastline. Just to add to the official childish behavior of government agencies the American government has been protecting Oil giants such as Shell, Chevron Texaco and Exxon Mobile from environmental liabilities in Ecuador and Nigeria.

Obama pounded away with his government’s consistent double standards at BP resulting in a British outcry finally after years of unfettered allegiance through never ending wars and catastrophic economic policies. Talk about showing gratitude with statements saying that BP would be made to paid every penny. Back home in the meantime in May as a off shoot of the of the Nuclear Deal, an Indian law was watered down under US pressure exonerating American companies off liabilities incase of an accident. A dismayed Manmohan Singh agreed and the bill was altered with limitations on the liabilities, but now Human Rights groups are slowly raising the banter against American strong-arming. So now all we have to do is pray for a Three Mile Island and not a Chernobyl.

By Mathew George