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July 22, 2005
Please Don't Sell Us Out
By: Rowan Wolf
As the so-called "energy" bill wends its way to law, the oil companies are trying to get off cheap and get what they want by offering to throw $2 billion into cleaning up MTBE (and other environmentally hazardous additives) into the cleanup fund in exchange for being protected against other lawsuits. It is estimated that $2 billion would be a drop in the bucket for what is needed, but protection from further suits is a HUGE payoff for a relatively small investment.
Forget that the "Energy" bill is a disaster to start off with. Forget that a growing number of communities around the country have lost their water supplies to MTBE leaking into supplies. Forget, things like oil spills, faulty equipment, other toxic cleanup the oil companies are dodging. What about health and safety? Who should pick up the tab for corporate malfeasance? Over and over again, the lion's share falls to the tax payer.
Why would the oil companies (and their subsidiaries) ever improve their environmental practices if someone else is always cleaning up their mess? Exxon, still has not restored either the environment or people's losses from the Exxon Valdez spill. They are still appealing and dragging their feet while the impacts grow year after year.
No buyouts - no matter how high the offer - to protect the oil industry from its own greed and malfeasance!
Posted by Rowan at July 22, 2005 9:05 AM Category: Global Warming --- Social Impacts
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