BP and Transocean Point Fingers as Giant New Oil Plume Found

The owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig, Transocean, has accused BP of withholding information about the rig explosion on April 20. BP calls it a "publicity stunt" meant to deflect attention. Meanwhile, the mess both companies created is still there.

Recently, people were super excited that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico really wasn't that bad. Then a study showed that huge amounts of toxic oil were spreading along the sea floor. And now, another new study says a giant plume of oil is "lurking" beneath the surface, but it will be a few months before anyone has a good idea of how much oil there is down there.

But that's all beside the point! The real story is the growing spat between BP and Transocean Ltd. over who did what wrong, and when they did it and what they've done with the evidence. Transocean sent out a letter yesterday that accused BP of withholding "even the most basic information" from the rig explosion on April 20 — data that Transocean needs for its own internal investigation. Part of the letter, from The Washington Post:


A lawyer from BP responded:

[Transocean's letter is] nothing more than a publicity stunt evidently designed to draw attention away from Transocean's potential role in the Deepwater Horizon tragedy."

Here's a solution: Both companies shut the fuck up and stop making weak excuses for the deaths of 11 people and the destruction unleashed on the Gulf of Mexico.

[Image via Getty]