Markey calls for BP to prove claim of no underwater oil plume
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/31/art.markey.gi.jpg caption="Ed Markey holds up a container filled with oil taken from the Gulf of Mexico."]Washington (CNN) - Rep. Edward Markey on Monday challenged the assertion by oil giant BP's chief executive that no underwater oil plumes have formed because of the Gulf of Mexico spill.
In a letter to BP, Markey, D-Massachusetts, said scientific evidence showed such plumes have formed and he asked for BP CEO Tony Hayward to provide evidence to back up Hayward's claim Sunday that the spilled oil had gone to the surface.
On Sunday, Markey, who heads the House Energy and Environment subcommittee, had accused BP of issuing false statements about the oil spill.
"BP in this instance means 'Blind to Plumes,'" Markey said in a statement Monday.
There was no immediate response from BP.
Markey's letter to BP said "the confirmation of the presence of large quantities of oil sub-surface could help to inform clean-up and response efforts, and it is vital that there is unfettered access to all relevant data or analysis."
The letter noted that University of South Florida researchers recently reported finding a 22-mile-long plume of dispersed oil.
In a separate letter Monday to BP, Markey called for complete transparency regarding video feeds of the company's underwater operations. BP is launching a new effort to cut an opening to the leaking equipment so that a containment dome can be lowered on it.
"There cannot be any delay or gaps in our understanding of this situation, given that thousands of barrels of oil are spewing forth each day into the Gulf, with catastrophic long-term consequences," said Markey's letter to BP America head Lamar McKay, later adding: "BP should not be controlling the view the American public has of this disaster in our ocean."
It is obvious BP is not going to do much of anything. Why can't we send in someone from the navy or coast gard to close it down and cap it? If Dr. Ballard found the Titanic...why can't we cap this leak???? The people in DC need to get off their collective behinds, grow a spine and take care of this....and we need to boycott all BP products and sue the crap out of them!!!!!
Obama doesn't want the oil to stop or be cleaned up.He wants as much environtmental damage as possible done so that he can force BP out of business(probably not a bad idea given their safety record)It will make it easier for him to nationlize the oil industry and move the country in the direction of green energy.He doesn't really care about Louisana as long as in the end he can achieve his socialist utopia.In the meantime if it doesn't work as well as planned he can just blame it all on Bush.
Having followed Markey's reasoning for many years, I must confess that I have never before seen such a headline grabber. Talking about delays or gaps in our understanding of the current Gulf Oil situation, it would be reassuring to have Markey admit that only he and the Supreme Being have a real understanding of the forces at play in this skirmish with reality with only Markey doing the talking.
BP is betting that their well is worth more then any cleanup cost. If our government makes fines that exceed the value of the well, demolition to close the well would happen the first week. We the People should get all future proceeds from that oil well to cleanup the gulf and to make polluting unprofitable for BP. Oldmanonthehill.
Since eveyone knows were these plumes are ,can anyone explain why there doesn't seem to be any real effort to try to suck that material out of the ocean? And why did the EPA give BP the ok to use toxic dispersients in the first place.?
This is how republicans create jobs create a massives oil spill provide no health care.how's that drill baby drill working for ya,good you betcha
How can BP be a legitimate oil business and not know how to undo the mess they've created? The Obama administration should slap these bozos with so many fines that they won't be able to afford the buttons on those fancy suits they wear. There is pretty much no way that the affected coastlines, marshes and wildlife will ever be restored in our lifetimes. BP should be forced to hire all of the fisherman whose livelihoods have been ruined and train them in removal of the oil fowling the surface of their workplaces. BP owes us much.
people just can,t say OIL COMPANYthats what BP is it could have been anyone of them and none of them have any idea how to stop this or were ready for the day it happened
@Thor: It deep under water. And several miles wide. If you have a solution that doesn't involve a miracle, please come forward.
Wait a minute folks. How does BP PROVE there are no oil plumes?
OK, It's BP's
a: fault
b: Responsibility to fix
c: Responsibility to pay for the damage
but prove there are no plumes???