Waxman puts Big Oil on trial

[kpete]

Source: Politico

Waxman puts Big Oil on trial
By: Jonathan Allen and Jake Sherman
June 15, 2010 04:49 AM EDT

Henry Waxman’s war on Big Oil has begun.

The California Democrat, along with Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), will force top oil executives to defend or condemn industry practices and profits, according to series of pre-hearing questions obtained by POLITICO, foreshadowing an intense, made-for-TV hearing Tuesday that could create an iconic Washington moment for the petroleum industry.

“What is the maximum worst-case spill scenario is prepared to respond to from offshore oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico? Please outline the emergency plans you have in place to deal with deep-water blowouts,” reads one of the 15 questions delivered to the five biggest oil companies. Another probes the companies’ attitudes toward cap-and-trade proposals for limiting carbon emissions.
BP may be first in the line of fire, but experts said the whole industry will be on trial Tuesday. Executives from BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron are scheduled to testify.

“I’m not sure the industry has grasped how much this is going to hurt them in the long run,” one energy lobbyist told POLITICO. “They’re still seeing this as a BP problem. That’s not a good place for them to be.”

The bottom line: Oil Week in Washington — complete with CEO testimony, a presidential address to the nation and the release of damaging documents about BP’s safety record — may represent a turning point in the way the public views the domestic oil industry if Waxman and the White House succeed in their efforts. Longtime environmentalists like Waxman see the oil spill crisis as their moment to put the industry on its heels after decades of having its way on Capitol Hill — much like Waxman did with the tobacco industry in the 1990s.

Read more: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=39454237-18FE-70B2-A80DB38822C0EEA7

[Gregin Orlando]

1. Good for Waxman

BP must be held accountable for this! The far-reaching implications of this disaster have barely been touched upon by the corporate media. While the threat to wildlife and the economy have been mentioned, few outlets have mentioned the health risks to Gulf coast residents from breathing in toxic fumes when the oil hits shore. There are unconfirmed rumors that FEMA has been quietly discussing evacuation plans to clear the shores as far as 200 miles inland if the air becomes unfit to breathe. For more information, check out this article and others by this author: http://www.examiner.com/x-38220-Orlando-Independent-Examiner~y2010m6d15-Toxins-in-air-from-evaporating-oil-may-pose-greater-threat-to-Gulf-residents-than-oily-water

[dotymed]

2. Rahm

won't let that happen...

[florida08]

3. oil companies being question now

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN3.aspx

[Romulox]

4. It needs to be pointed out that the tobacco industry is a live and kicking.

What exactly did Waxman do to the tobacco industry other than secure a cut of the pie for the States? :wtf:

[Tanuki]

6. Since you asked...

http://waxman.house.gov/IssueList/Internal/tobacco.htm

[azul]

5. The voting public is finally riled up for reps to be so bold an speak.

Otherwise the culture of corruption - politicians/military/banks/big oil - would probably continue to drive the endless war to mass extinctions and ruin.

This is our wake-up call to smell the benzene and swamp-gas and finally do something about it. The tail pipe carbon dioxide we breathe has fooled us and has about cooked our collective ass because it is odorless; it has taken our money away from education and left us ignorant.

Nationalize the oil businesses, nationalize the banks, throw the sell-out bums out of office. How else can we get out of debt, and hot water, and compete with China in the un-free new capitalism/socialism?