BP sets up $20 billion account for Gulf Coast residents affected by spill

[Number23]

Now, can we do something about this?

"Nigerian Spills Make Valdez Look Like Drop in Bucket"

"Now a month old, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill still dominates the headlines, with politicians, pundits and ordinary people debating who's to blame and wondering if it will eclipse the Exxon Valdez as the worst spill in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, Nigeria reportedly leaks as much oil as the Valdez -- which spewed nearly 11 million gallons of crude into Alaskan waters in 1989 -- every year, with little attention paid."

That's right -- 11 million gallons of oil leaked into the Niger Delta EVERY YEAR thanks to Shell Oil.

Money Quote: "Shell's operations in the delta have helped transform that area into the world's most polluted ecosystem, which has in turn resulted in a human rights catastrophe," said Christopher Francis, one of the Nigerian Justice League organizers.

Decades of messy oil exploration have since despoiled the delta environment, depriving the local population of its traditional livelihood: fishing. Experts say this has prompted the migration of many locals into surrounding communities populated by other ethnic groups, where they inevitably compete for land and resources, destabilizing the political landscape.

..."Shell shares concern about the environment and welfare of communities in the Niger Delta, but often the reality and complexity of operating in the delta is not recognized," a Shell spokesman told AOL news. "The vast majority of spills, for example, are the result of sabotage, but Shell cleans up the spills regardless of their cause."

The fact that many of the spills are caused by sabotage is a marked distinction from the Gulf spill caused by BP's greed and lax government regulations. But I can't help but wonder if we will even pretend to raise as much hell and care as much about the lives of these Nigerians -- who have seen their livelihoods, their health, their way of life and their environments affected -- as we do about the Gulf residents?

Obama is trying to do right by the Gulf Coast residents. Who is going to do right by these people battling an oil behemoth and their own corrupt government?

[Karenina]

1. HALLO!

:hi:

[Number23]

2. 'Allo!

:hi:
I read this while I was during some research a month ago and had to post it in light of the $20 billion fund that Obama has created for the Gulf residents.

I'm thrilled that the President is trying to do right by these folks, but I just can't help but wonder who's going to do right by the people of Nigeria?? To be poor and living in one of the most natural resource wealthy nations in the world is something that I just can't wrap my head around. And the fact that Shell is trying to portray itself as the victim ("we have to clean the spills even if they were the result of sabotage!one!") while raping this country and its citizens is nauseating.

P.S. Oh, and of course the DU Batshit Brigade is screaming that the $20 BILLION fund "isn't enough." Obama could personally hand out new businesses, college funds, and a home cooked meal to every person in the Gulf and they'd still scream.