Sunday, March 18, 2012

Oops, I Spilled It Again

Earlier this week, a crude oil leak was discovered in the Frade oil field off the coast of Brazil, and Brazilian officials declare they plan to "bring criminal charges" to 17 executives from Chevron, the US oil company, and the drilling contractor Transocean. This is hardly the Chevron's first offense in Brazil - in November a large oil spill occurred in the same Frade oil field, in which 3,000 barrels of oil poured into the Atlantic Ocean, around 240 miles from Rio de Janeiro. The prosecutor's lawyer said that they would be charging the defendants for "environmental crimes," among other things.

I find this article interesting, especially after the infamous Gulf oil spill caused such an uproar here in 2010. Do you guys think the charges against Chevron and Transocean are fair? Who do you think should be responsible for oil spills in general? And where do you think the line should be drawn between making money and protecting the environment?

2 comments:

Colin Grele said...

I completely believe that the charges against Chevron and Transocean are fair. If they have already done this in the past then they should have learned for their mistakes. Since it has happened more than once something should be done about it; they are clearly doing something wrong. I believe that the drilling contractor is who should be held responsible for the oil spills. They are hired by the companies to do their job and drill for oil safely. If something goes wrong with the drilling it is their fault.

Keaton Gee said...

I also agree that the charges against Chevron and Transocean are justifiable. I think that, in a broader sense, the human race as a whole should be responsible for oil spills in general. After all, it is our sick dependence on oil that causes us to drill deeper into the earth for oil to fuel our gas-guzzling vehicles and our high-speed jets.

In business, making money is always a priority. However, as we progress further into the 21st century, with more pollution and environmental concerns than ever, I think protecting the environment should come first. At the rate we're progressing, there won't be a planet for our great great grandchildren to live on.