ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson told Congress we must do everything possible to prevent offshore drilling disasters, because once they occur, there is not any way to stop the damage. By admitting the unavoidable risk of catastrophe, Tillerson exploded the myths “” promoted by the oil industry and right-wing supporters “” that offshore drilling is “environmentally safe,” and that the industry can handle these disasters when they occur. TP’s Brad Johnson has the story.
Tillerson made the shocking admission that the industry is “not well equipped to prevent any and all damage” under questioning from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), the chair of the oversight subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, during a hearing that featured top executives from the five largest private oil companies:
There will be impacts as we are seeing. We have never represented anything different than that. That’s why the emphasis is always on preventing these things from occurring because when they happen we are not well equipped to deal with them. And that’s just a fact of the enormity of what we’re dealing with.
Watch it:
The only fail-safe way to prevent oil drilling disasters, in fact, is to stop drilling for oil “” in other words, “The only winning move is not to play.” This is yet another reason this nation needs an energy policy that puts a cap on oil pollution and ends our toxic addiction.
Transcript (watch the full Stupak-Tillerson exchange on YouTube):
STUPAK: So if you can’t handle 40,000 [barrels of oil a day], how are you going handle 166,000 per day?
TILLERSON: The answer to that is is when these things happen, we are not well equipped to deal with them.
STUPAK: So when these happen, we can’t handle them?
TILLERSON: There will be impacts as we are seeing. We have never represented anything different than that. That’s why the emphasis is always on preventing these things from occurring because when they happen we are not well equipped to deal with them. And that’s just a fact of the enormity of what we’re dealing with.
STUPAK: We call upon the same resources. No matter which one of the oil companies before us had the blow-out, the resources are not enough to prevent what we are seeing day after day on the gulf. Not only the loss of 11 people, but we “” we are on day what? 56 or 57 of oil washing on shore. There is no way to stop it until we cap the well? Correct?
TILLERSON: Right.
STUPAK: But it could be Exxon tomorrow or Chevron tomorrow?
TILLERSON: Not if we follow our practices and procedures it won’t be.
STUPAK: But if it does we can’t handle the spill. This worst case scenario is pie in the sky and oil in our waters.
TILLERSON: The MMS and Coast Guard require us to calculate using their methods and that’s why it’s in there. I think that’s all that matters is the point is we have to take every step to prevent these things from happening. When they happen, it is a fact that we are not well equipped to prevent any and all damage. Damage will occur.
STUPAK: We satisfy the application but in reality we can’t respond to a worst case scenario.
TILLERSON: Response is underway. It is having some effect. But there is nothing to guarantee you will not have an impact.
One of the lessons we’ve learned from this spill is that we need better regulations better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. But a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk. . . . The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be here in America. Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny.
Watch it:
This is a Think Progress repost.
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Things are particularly bad right now because all of the (inadequate) resources that are available are devoted to dealing with this spill but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has now allowed new drilling in shallower water so there are zero resources available to deal with spills there. In my opinion, Salazar should resign.
There remain many places in the world where the oil is under land rather than water so it is just oil chauvinism that provokes us into risky offshore drilling. If we conserve by just 15%, we can get back to using just easy oil which is really the only economically sound oil to use.
Looks like a sweet little old lady did get close enough to
the President to tug gently on his lapel. Speech is there.
Tillerson was honest about the lack of oil companies’ ability to stanch oil eruptions, and that is appreciated. He was not honest about claiming that if Exxon’s offshore wells follow the proper procedures that there will not be events such as this one.
We don’t regulate these procedures, and MMS barely knows what they are. Obvious flaws include a lack of redundancy and very marginal safety factors- which are themselves bypassed, as in the case of Deepwater Horizon.
The larger problem, however, is this: Mechanical systems fail, especially if they include hydraulics, operating under great pressure a mile deep. That’s why blowouts have always occurred, and will continue to occur. The unacceptable risk of the practice itself is even more of an issue than the minimal safety factors. That’s because the consequences of failure are catastrophic.
This is all basic engineering. Unfortunately, cowboys run the oil industry, as well as our government. It’s time to put them out to pasture.
A great article on the same topic from a journalist who’s been covering the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftereffects.
“The truth is that when large amounts of oil go into the ocean, it’s a huge success to recover as much as 10 percent. More than that is rarely possible.”
http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/a_spills_dirty_secret/
Oh no?
Bu they are ‘well equipped’ to make huge profits at the expense of the ‘small people’.
Tillerson Gives Us The Factual Ammunition To Pop The Bubble
As mentioned, Tillerson said . . .
“There will be impacts as we are seeing. We have never represented anything different than that. That’s why the emphasis is always on preventing these things from occurring because when they happen we are not well equipped to deal with them. And that’s just a fact of the enormity of what we’re dealing with.”
And it’s quite clear what he meant. The only real cure is prevention . . . in other words, not bringing about a problem in the first place.
Now apply that same philosophy to climate change.
Scientists have told us — plenty of times, with great clarity — that our use of hydrocarbons is creating a huge problem, climate change. It’s a problem of much greater enormity than the huge problem in the Gulf. And the immense harmful repercussions of climate change will be problems that the oil companies will not be “well equipped” to deal with, you can be certain of that. Nor will humankind be “well equipped” to deal with them. The only responsible answer is prevention. So, using Tillerson’s own philosophy, the only genuinely responsible way for society to move forward — and the oil companies should (and must ultimately) admit this — is for us to transition quickly away from our use of GHG-producing fuels and energy sources. Period. Tillerson’s own point seals the argument.
Now, it is up to us, and to Climate Progress, and to CAP, and to The New York Times, and to other media, to point this out, to shine light on Tillerson and press him on the matter, to insist that he “reconcile” his latest comment with ExxonMobil’s irresponsible actions regarding climate change, and so forth. His own clear quotes provide the clear “ammunition” for that.
It’s up to us to follow up. That ball is in our court. Who’s got it?
I was astonished to hear and see Tillerson say those words and make that point. Is anyone connecting the dots out there? Where is The New York Times on this?
Period.
Jeff