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BP: The Gulf Is a Big Ocean, Oil Spill Tiny in Comparison

Just as independent analysis started claiming the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is not 5,000 barrels a day, but 70,000 (making it a disaster bigger even than the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989), BP's CEO, Tony Hayward, tried to play down the significance of the spill with the following peculiar statement:

"The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean," he was quoted as saying by Daily Mail. "The volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume."

Tiny as it is from BP's perspective, the spill is a major environmental and economical threat for the coastal regions. Saying such a thing is for environmentalists just like saying a nuclear explosions somewhere in the world means nothing, given the size of the planet, and Hayward's statement is poised to cause a huge wave of criticism.

In an interview with The Times, Hayward also admits the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which will cost the company at least $450 million, may also cost him his job.

"I think I will be judged by the response," he told the source. "I don't feel my job is on the line but of course that might change."

The oil spill, which may very well turn out to be the biggest ecological disaster in the history of the US, began on April 20 and continues to this day. A last minute attempt to cap the leak will be made by BP in the following days, after similar other moves failed in recent weeks.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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