BP not standing aside? Thank goodness.

Gulf of Mexico oil spillSomebody tell the federal government they’re not needed to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Don’t need their money. Don’t need their poorly planned, bureaucratic layers of indolent effort. The best people to clean up the mess are the people who created it, namely British Petroleum (BP). No one on this planet has a greater vested interest in rectifying environmental damage caused by this historic oil spill than good old BP.

BP’s Chief Executive Officer, Tony Hayward, told reporters in Louisiana that “We are going to clear every drop of oil of the shore. “We will remediate any environmental damage and we will put the Gulf Coast right and back to normalcy as fast as we can.”

It’s a public media nightmare for BP right now. The continued existence of the company as a profitable entity hangs in the balance. They really only have one way out of this mess and that’s to clean up the mess. Do a really good job with that, get every visible drop of oil out of the beaches, wetlands, and other sensitive eco-system areas and there’s a tiny chance the public may forgive the whole incredible mishap and allow the oil giant to resume operations without constant environmental wacko and do-gooder government harassment.

There’s nothing BP would rather accomplish than the task of fading quietly into the background again. Cleaning up the oil spill themselves is the fastest, most efficient way to get it done. Consider it the cost of doing business. Welcome to the private sector, where money talks and you know what walks. Drilling makes BP lots of money. If a little oil on the sand is keeping them from getting back to that, you can bet the oil will get cleaned up.

The Holistic Survival Team

Flickr / jeferonix