Okay…so I promised a happier story…

I don’t want to sound biased, but I read this entire press release, and apparently, things simply aren’t that bad and the response of British Petroleum has been both massive and thorough. In fact, it would appear it has been an unprecedented response for an unprecedented spill with their estimates of 39,000 workers, almost 5000 ships and over a hundred airplanes. I, for one am astounded and kind of feeling a little foolish about this right now, after all the criticisms I’ve levied over the past number of weeks. Seriously…take a look at these facts and figures… I sincerely doubt anyone cares about the Gulf of Mexico as much as British Petroleum…Jesus, is my face red…

1. The BP containment systems have collected up to 435,600 barrels of oil so far out of an estimated 2,450,000 to 7,000,000 barrels of oil spilled into the gulf.

2. BP has laid out over 2.9 million feet of containment boom and 4.7 million feet of sorbent boom into the gulf to keep the oil from coming ashore…

3. BP has paid out over 128 million dollars to 40,000 claims for an average of 3200 dollars each.

This is the real story to be had in the Gulf of Mexico and like Joe Barton, the esteemed congressman from Texas, I’ll take my stand and apologize to British Petroleum and all they have had to suffer the past two months. It has been a harrowing experience and they have been preyed upon by everyone while they shrug it off to the best of their ability and move forward to thanklessly fix this problem. Well, I’ll say it, thank you. I obviously was incorrect and mislead by the other bloggers and video and pictures and articles on the internet, in the magazines and newspapers. Don’t believe me? That’s okay, you don’t have to take my word for it. Please, read their press release yourself…

Update on Gulf of Mexico Spill – 28 June, from British Petroleum

And before I close this post…let’s take another look at the reporters working for British Petroleum and what they had to say…Maybe they do know best, after all…they’ve seen it firsthand while I’ve only seen the horizon from afar…

Paula Kolmar writes:

“I was on a jack-up boat observing the practice operations several miles out of Bayou La Batre on a day when the ocean was calm, except for the groups of dolphins swimming around us. Even a shark came along to watch the show. Hot, humid conditions intensified by bright sunlight in a cloudless sky were actually made pleasant by the salty sea breezes topped off with lots of sunscreen and bottles of water. Over about four hours we … enjoyed the spectacular ballet at sea. Mind you, these drills are executed by local shrimping captains on shrimping boats who know these waters and how to catch shrimp! … Watching the captains weave the long black boom as seamlessly as a professional ballet troupe performs an intricate dance, I found it difficult to believe that the rehearsals only started some weeks ago … A ballet at sea as mesmerizing as any performance in a concert hall, and worthy of an audience in its own right.”

Dolphins – sharks – ballets at sea – I don’t think “mesmerizing” even begins to cover it.

Tom Seslar writes:

“Much of the region’s [nonfishing boat] businesses — particularly the hotels — have been prospering because so many people have come here from BP and other oil emergency response teams,” another report says. Indeed, one tourist official in a local town makes it clear that “BP has always been a very great partner of ours here…We have always valued the business that BP sent us.”

See? BP is good for the tourism industry…and where there is one local tourist official who appreciates their partnership with BP, there’s bounds to be hundreds, if not thousands more…

British Petroleum, once again my apologies and I personally would like to wish you all Godspeed, and an incredible day.

As for everybody else…

Jesus, stop being such downers!