The Presidential Oil Spill Commission, tasked with evaluating the BP oil spill, released two reports Nov. 22 that reveal a horrifying level of criminal negligence. The commission disclosed serious failures on the part of both the Mineral Management Service and British Petroleum. This comes as no surprise, but the fact that an official government body admitted to it is a testament to the vast incompetence exhibited during the disaster.
Although BP has made billions of dollars in profits annually, almost no money was spent preparing for a spill. The report admits that MMS received woefully inadequate resources. Only four or five members of the regulatory agency were tasked with overseeing the cleanup and containment effort.
The report, however, fails to identify a significant culprit: the capitalist system. Under capitalism, the owners of BP are solely interested in maximizing profit, and the government exists to ensure that interest. Workers’ livelihoods and the environment are not a priority for corporate owners or their loyal servants in Washington.
