On March 29, an oil pipeline named Pegasus owned by ExxonMobil ruptured, spilling an estimated 5,000 barrels of crude oil in the town of Mayflower, Ark. Homes were evacuated and cleanup crews deployed in an attempt to contain the immense damage, which already has resulted in the devastation of local wildlife and the onset of respiratory problems among local residents.
News of the disaster in Mayflower is a timely reminder of the dangers of oil production and transport, and is another black eye for an industry known for its environmental disasters. Indeed, images of crude oil flowing down the streets of a suburban neighborhood surely will expand the ranks of the environmental movement.
Footage of the scene, however, has been severely restricted by the efforts of ExxonMobil, which succeeded in securing a “no-fly zone” over the area, approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The huge oil monopoly also has cleverly avoided paying any money into a cleanup fund, citing a technicality that classifies the substance leaked as “diluted bitumen” rather than oil.
This calculated and obstructive response by ExxonMobil reveals the class interests at play in the expanding oil industry. As accidents like the disaster in Mayflower and the six other smaller spills that occurred across the United States and Canada over the same oneweek period become more frequent, industry giants have tried to pull political strings and cite technicalities to avoid responsibility.
Nothing changed since 2010 BP spill
The oil industry has worked hard to make the country forget the massive BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The explosion on the off-shore rig 50 miles off the Louisiana coast left 11 workers dead, 17 injured and more than 200 million tons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, wreaking untold damage on the environment and economies of the Gulf states.
Millions of gallons of oil poured into the Gulf and hundreds of thousands of gallons of Corexit and other toxic dispersants — banned in 19 countries — were pumped in to conceal it. At the same time, the Obama administration approved dozens of off-shore drilling projects in the early days of the crisis, showing all the more that, in Obama’s own words, the federal government’s relationship to big oil is indeed “cozy.”
The entire regulatory apparatus was controlled indirectly by the companies supposedly subject to the regulations, and the U.S. government repeatedly deferred to the corporation responsible for the crisis to end it. It took BP several attempts to cap the gusher — nearly three months later.
During this crisis, members of the PSL participated in the “Seize BP” campaign, which aimed to put the energy giant and its wealth under the democratic control of workers and community organizations. Instead, the capitalist legal system allowed the corporation to get off with lawsuit settlements and restitution costs.
A few months later, BP was spending tens of millions on advertising to remake its public image. It went back to normal operations and doled out large bonuses to its executives. No executive went to jail — instead, the company blamed workers for the spill. Such is the nature of capitalist “justice.”
Keystone XL pipeline
This latest spill in Arkansas intensifies the particular discussion regarding construction of the massive Keystone XL pipeline now under consideration by the U.S. State Department. Companies like Canadian oil giant TransCanada continue to push President Obama to approve the pipeline and other projects.
The 1,702-mile-long pipeline would carry crude tar sands oil from Canada through some of the most environmentally fragile lands in the United States. Despite scientists’ warnings regarding the high certainty of ecological contamination, voiced in the mobilization of thousands of activists, President Obama has yet to respond officially and has been signaling support for it.
The pipeline, which will be a partnership between TransCanada and the U.S. government, reveals the close collaboration between the largest corporations and the state, both of which serve the profit motive. Like all companies, these energy giants have no consideration for the land on which we all depend for survival. While the environmentalist and Native American activists who oppose the Keystone XL pipeline have been protesting and are being arrested, the corporate polluters are making millions and are passed off as “job creators.”
Mass protest is important in the immediate struggle, and could stop the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Socialism, however, is the only long-term solution to these environmental threats. Socialism puts people’s needs before corporate profits and therefore is necessary for protecting the environment.
