Former Shell Oil President Blames Government for Oil Spill
According to John Heifmeister, former president of Shell Oil and author of Why We Hate Oil Companies, if the government didn't force oil companies to drill offshore in deep sea, the BP oil rig accident would not have happened in the first place.
To him, the U.S. government's cowardly response to pressure from environmental groups made it so that legislation won't let oil companies drill on land, a significantly less risky endeavor.
Heifmeister doesn't bother to examine the protective reasons why the government had little choice other than move oil drilling offshore. Who would want to face the pollution of drilling oil right in their backyards? In addition to taking for granted that drilling for oil is the one and only best way to extract fuel from the earth, he also takes it as a given that it's "normal" to do so, as if the natural resources existed for the taking and profiteering of oil companies.
Heifmeister insists that drilling for oil is an inherent part of this nation's identity when he says, "it's who we are." He also adds that oil companies are simply doing their jobs by providing people with a lifestyle that they want, jobs that they want, gas for their cars; that the oil companies contribute to the economy and sustain American's global competitiveness.
He states that more oil drilling needs to take place, otherwise, billions of dollars would flow out of the U.S. to foreign countries, as this nation buys foreign oil because it cannot drill its own. So apparently, to Heifmeister, drilling for oil is an absolute necessity. The blame of an oil spill disasters falls onto the government's penchant for regulating the industry, and on the consumers, for wanting products and a way of life only oil companies can provide.
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