Republicans block bill to increase spill liability AGAIN

[JimH52]

Bid to lift spill liability cap is blocked - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

 

[rightwinger]

Thanks for sticking the bill to the American taxpayers Republicans

 

[Avatar4321]

how about instead of blaming people, we actually fix the problem?

 

[WillowTree]

Bid to lift spill liability cap is blocked - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

when did the Republicans get the majority? say what?

 

[American Horse]

Bid to lift spill liability cap is blocked - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

From the link: "This maneuver threatens to leave taxpayers, rather than the oil companies, on the hook for future disasters like the BP oil spill," he [Oama] said.

Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma used procedural move to stop the bill from coming to the Senate floor, saying that raising the cap would hurt smaller drillers.

"Big Oil would love to have these caps up there so they can shut out all the independents," he said.

Federal law requires companies to pay for all environmental damage, but economic damages are now capped at $75 million. Some Democrats want to raise the cap to $10 billion, and a few want to take it off completely."

It is specious to draft and promote legislation without regards to consequences to, in reality, do more harm than good. Particularly when the effects will have no meaning to Chinese and others outside US waters while also drilling in the Gulf.

These bills, too often as put forward, are written to ensnare the emotions of the simple minded and the partisans who put scoring political talking points above any essence of sound policy.

 

[LuckyDan]

From the link:

Federal law requires companies to pay for all environmental damage, but economic damages are now capped at $75 million. Some Democrats want to raise the cap to $10 billion, and a few want to take it off completely.

Then there's this from LA Times:

Despite Salazar’s assurances that BP will be held accountable -- and the oil company’s pledge to pay economic damages in excess of a statutory $75-million liability cap -- Senate Democrats stepped up efforts Tuesday to raise the cap to $10 billion.

Gulf oil spill: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says BP, other companies will be held 'fully accountable' | Greenspace | Los Angeles Times


What bill is BP sticking anybody with? And what's that smell?

Oh. Of course. Trial lawyers.

 

[JimH52]

The GOP is the friend of BIG OIL. The GOP wants a majority in the House or Senate in November. Figure it out? The tax payer is going to get stuck with this bill because the GOP is blocking an increasein limits.

The damage that is being caused by BP and Haliburton is going to be a large as anyone has ever seen. THE GOP WANTS TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR IT ALL! Thanks Republican'ts.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The GOP is the friend of BIG OIL. The GOP wants a majority in the House or Senate in November. Figure it out? The tax payer is going to get stuck with this bill because the GOP is blocking an increasein limits.

The damage that is being caused by BP and Haliburton is going to be a large as anyone has ever seen. THE GOP WANTS TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR IT ALL! Thanks Republican'ts.

You are a LIAR. But hey thanks for proving you are a Democratic sheeple.

 

[rightwinger]

Why should there be any cap at all?

You destroy the Gulf of Mexico you should go out of business if that is what it takes

 

[JimH52]

The GOP is the friend of BIG OIL. The GOP wants a majority in the House or Senate in November. Figure it out? The tax payer is going to get stuck with this bill because the GOP is blocking an increasein limits.

The damage that is being caused by BP and Haliburton is going to be a large as anyone has ever seen. THE GOP WANTS TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR IT ALL! Thanks Republican'ts.

You are a LIAR. But hey thanks for proving you are a Democratic sheeple.

Take your meds and get another cup of coffee. You will be fine...

 

[VaYank5150]

how about instead of blaming people, we actually fix the problem?

How about we get the people who caused the problem to fix it and pay for the mess they made?

 

[Ravi]

Why should there be any cap at all?

You destroy the Gulf of Mexico you should go out of business if that is what it takes

Good question. If my neighbor's tree lands on my roof when he's cutting it down he's responsible to pay for the damage.

 

[JimH52]

how about instead of blaming people, we actually fix the problem?

How about we get the people who caused the problem to fix it and pay for the mess they made?

It seems the present minority party does not feel the oil companies should bare such a burden.

 

[Zoom-boing]

I don't get why BP - or any oil company - didn't have fixes in place to stop the spewing of oil before this happened. I mean, why wouldn't they come up with a 'worse case scenario' and come up with fixes that would work? Doesn't that make sense?

Kind of like when WTC was built it was unfathomable that a fully fuled plane would crash into it so that was never taken into consideration when they were built. But now, having experienced 9/11, it will be. An explosion involving an oil rig is certainly not unfathomable so . . . why were fixes for ginormous spills not in place prior to drilling?

 

[Ravi]

I don't get why BP - or any oil company - didn't have fixes in place to stop the spewing of oil before this happened. I mean, why wouldn't they come up with a 'worse case scenario' and come up with fixes that would work? Doesn't that make sense?

Kind of like when WTC was built it was unfathomable that a fully fuled plane would crash into it so that was never taken into consideration when they were built. But now, having experienced 9/11, it will be. An explosion involving an oil rig is certainly not unfathomable so . . . why were fixes for ginormous spills not in place prior to drilling?

Human nature. People tend to think that disasters happen to other people.

 

[Mr.Fitnah]

Bid to lift spill liability cap is blocked - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

Yeah, why have laws or rules when you can just change them in the middle of the game.

 

[Gadawg73]

Why should there be any cap at all?

You destroy the Gulf of Mexico you should go out of business if that is what it takes

A true conservative wants no cap on damages awards. That is JURY DECISION.
Something about the US Constitution.
AMERICANS BEWARE.
The same way insurance companies have spun their tort reform the oil companies are spinning this.
If smaller drillers CAN NOT be responsible for the POTENTIAL damage they do then GET ANOTHER JOB.

 

[Zoom-boing]

I don't get why BP - or any oil company - didn't have fixes in place to stop the spewing of oil before this happened. I mean, why wouldn't they come up with a 'worse case scenario' and come up with fixes that would work? Doesn't that make sense?

Kind of like when WTC was built it was unfathomable that a fully fuled plane would crash into it so that was never taken into consideration when they were built. But now, having experienced 9/11, it will be. An explosion involving an oil rig is certainly not unfathomable so . . . why were fixes for ginormous spills not in place prior to drilling?

Human nature. People tend to think that disasters happen to other people.

People are idiots.

 

[Mr. H.]

The GOP is the friend of BIG OIL. The GOP wants a majority in the House or Senate in November. Figure it out? The tax payer is going to get stuck with this bill because the GOP is blocking an increasein limits.

The damage that is being caused by BP and Haliburton is going to be a large as anyone has ever seen. THE GOP WANTS TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR IT ALL! Thanks Republican'ts.

Did you take note of the comment by Inhofe?

The Democrats are siezing the opportunity to castigate and penalize an entire industry- one that is made up primarily of independent business owners. The ones that operate over 300,000 oilwells on U.S. soil.

Here's the text of an email from the IPAA (Independent Petroleum Association of America):

The Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are considering legislation that would significantly impact independent producers operating offshore and could also impact onshore producers as well. In an effort to address the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, legislation has been introduced to increase liability limits under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 from $75 million to $10 billion or more.
Please contact your House and Senate members and urge them to oppose this misguided effort. Rather than trying to rush through legislation designed to "punish" the oil and natural gas industry, we need Congress to take a methodical approach and find out all of the facts surrounding the Deepwater Horizon incident.

 

[Ravi]

Bid to lift spill liability cap is blocked - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

Yeah, why have laws or rules when you can just change them in the middle of the game.

If this cap removal is meant to affect BP for the current spill I have to agree with you that changing the rules in the middle of the game is unfair.

I would like to see the cap lifted from this day forward for any future events.