Congressman Bart Stupak takes a
look at Exxon's disaster management plan;
Maintain on camera skill proficiency
Stupak
elaborates
My problem is that ExxonMobil has given far less attention to actually controlling a spill. While ExxonMobil has 40 pages on its media response strategy, its plan for “Resource Protection” is only five pages long, and its plan for oil removal is just nine pages long.
We have all seen the horrible images of pelicans and other wildlife coated in oil from the recent spill. ExxonMobil’s plan appears more concerned about public perception than wildlife protection given the fact that their media plan is five times longer than its plan for protecting wildlife. And the canned pre-drafted “deeply sadden” press release rings hollow with the loss of 11 lives on the Deepwater Horizon!
ExxonMobil’s plan is a perfect metaphor for what is going wrong in the Gulf today. The oil company response plans are great public relations. They allow the oil companies to say they have a 500-page plan that shows they’re prepared for any contingency.
But these plans are virtually worthless when an actual spill occurs.
And that’s exactly the kind of misplaced priorities that led to this disaster.
