BP and the Macondo Spill : The Complete Story (Hardcover)

PART I: HISTORY - A BRIEF HISTORY OF OIL SPILLS -Arabian Gulf -Ixtoc I -Atlantic Empress -Fergana Valley -ABT Summer -Nowruz Field Platform -Catillo de Bellver - Amoco Cadiz - MT Haven -Odyssey - Sea Star - Morris J. Berman - Irenes Serenade - Urquila - Torrey Canyon - Montara PART II: THE INDUSTRY - VARIOUS WAYS TO EXTRACT OIL - where does oil come from? - early extraction and shallow well - offshore drilling - deep sea drilling - the complication of combined oil and gas at pressure - the risks in perspective of drilling, transportation, refining, distribution, and consumption PART III: WHAT HAPPENED - THE MACONDO SPILL - history of the Macondo oil reservoir - events leading up to the fire and spill - partners in the spill - early BP response - U.S. Federal government response - the science of determining the spill rate PART IV: THE MEDIA - FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE - the first example of transparency at the ocean's floor - a spill in clear view - the role of the media - an assumption of moral responsibility - the public face of BP - 24 hour news cycle PART V: THE SCIENCE - ENGINEERING A SOLUTION - what went wrong - five contributing factors and their implications - the effectiveness of various solutions - deep sea dispersants - the new phenomenon of subsea plumes - when engineering meets politics PART VI: POLITICS - A PARALLEL POLITICAL AGENDA - a stalled U.S. energy bill - concessions to offshore drilling in return for a filibuster proof energy bill - a moratorium on drilling - finger pointing - Congress extracts a pound of flesh - time to talk tough, heads must role PART VII: BUSINESS - THE MARKET RESPONSE - loss of value of BP stock - exaggerated claims of cost and liability - promise to pay all legitimate claims - the $20B solution - a special master and his scope - talk of bankruptcy, merger and acquisition PART VIII:- THE FIX - CAPPING AND ABATING THE SPILL - a final solution - the cleanup effort - long term effects - direct and indirect costs - the human toll - the effectiveness of compensation PART IX: THE LAW - A COMPLICATED LEGAL LANDMINE - statutory liability - the Jones Act - Who's in charge - new laws in Congress can't be retroactive - maritime oil spill law - shareholder and class action suits PART X: OUR ROLE - THE WORLD'S INSATIABLE NEED FOR ENERGY AND HYDROCARBON BASED FUELS - we are all part of the problem - past consumption - demand from emerging nations - future prospects - all the easy oil has been tapped - the economics of alternatives to hydrocarbons PART XI: - CONCLUSION - WHERE TO GO FROM HERE