Oil Execs: Spill Is an Aberration

Oil executives testifying before Congress Tuesday said that the massive oil spill traumatizing the Gulf Coast is a rare disaster unlikely to happen again. They pushed for continued offshore drilling, saying American jobs are at stake. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson said his company follows proper safety and maintenance protocol that would prevent an event like the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, implying that BP did not. Chevron Chief John Watson said every one of his company’s employees has the authority to immediately stop work if unsafe conditions are noticed. But BP America’s president, Lamar McKay, defended his company’s response, calling it “pretty effective,” and he would not say whether BP would put money in escrow to pay for future spill-related claims. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) pressed the executives on their worst-case spill plans, noting that BP’s plan says it can cover 250,000 spilled barrels a day, but it hasn’t been able to handle 30,000 barrels gushing into the Gulf each day right now. The plans are “just paper exercises,” Waxman said.