GOP Blocks Oil Spill Liability Bill.

[Ponce]

GOP Blocks Oil Spill Liability Bill.

legislation that would increase oil companies' liability for oil spill damages, setting off criticism from Democrats seeking to make BP pay for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.


Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Tuesday blocked a bill Democrats have put forward to raise the liability cap from $75 million to $10 billion. He said on the Senate floor he agrees the cap should be raised, but the Senate should "wait and see where the cap should be."


"If you have it too high you are going to be singling out BP and the other four largest majors and the nationalized companies, such as China and Venezuela, and shutting out the independent producers," he said.


Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) blocked the legislation last week.


President Obama released a statement saying he is disappointed by the Republicans' objections.


"This maneuver threatens to leave taxpayers, rather than the oil companies, on the hook for future disasters like the BP oil spill," he said. "I urge the Senate Republicans to stop playing special interest politics and join in a bipartisan effort to protect taxpayers and demand accountability from the oil companies."


Roll Call reports that Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), one of the sponsors of the legislation, reportedly asked, "This is really about whose side do you stand on? Do you stand up with the taxpayers or with multibillion-dollar oil companies?"


Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), another co-sponsor, similarly derided the GOP.


"What we're watching here is a sham," Lautenberg said, Politico reports. "We see our friends on the other side--correct that, the people on the other side... not friendly in this case, [and we want them] to stand up and say, 'Yeah. You did it? Pay for it.'"


Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday that a $10 billion cap is inadequate.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005333-503544.html

[madfranks]

I'm wondering why there should be any sort of cap in the first place...

[Ponce]

I dint think of that......very unusual hahahah.......thanks.

[k-os]

As much as I want to be mad at the blocking of this bill, the dude (Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)) has a point when he said:


If you have it too high you are going to be singling out BP and the other four largest majors and the nationalized companies, such as China and Venezuela, and shutting out the independent producers.

I don't think we want to be too emotional about this, and pass it without thinking, and then end up shutting all of the little guys down because they can't afford their insurance.

Just think about how every major event in recent US history is followed the emotion-driven passage a major bill which ends up having major consequences.

I want BP to pay for this event, and ALL of the damages, even if it puts them out of business. They just let too many things slide, and continue to act too slowly for it not to be negligent.

Beyond BP's liability in this one event and it's clean up, we should have the liability cap a variable which relates to the amount of oil in the well.

That makes sense to me.

[Ponce]

If you can't pay the prize.........don't get in the game.

The bad must always go alongside of the good...........other wise it would be like Wall Street an bankers where everything to them is only good, good, good.

[mick silver]

i like how they block a bill that good for there buddys but dam they will not blocck one that bad for the f country

[Spectrism]

Madfranks is right. Why have any cap?

If you are guilty of manslaughter, is there any cap on how much you can be sued for in civil court?

These numbers are puny for oil companies.

Considering we have a company destroying a large percentage of our world, how can they be allowed to stay in business and keep any money?

[Twisted Titan]

Proof positive my Momma is always right:


JUSTICE ISNT BLIND..........ITS FOR SALE



T

[Twisted Titan]

As much as I want to be mad at the blocking of this bill, the dude (Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)) has a point when he said:


If you have it too high you are going to be singling out BP and the other four largest majors and the nationalized companies, such as China and Venezuela, and shutting out the independent producers.

I don't think we want to be too emotional about this, and pass it without thinking, and then end up shutting all of the little guys down because they can't afford their insurance.

Just think about how every major event in recent US history is followed the emotion-driven passage a major bill which ends up having major consequences.

I want BP to pay for this event, and ALL of the damages, even if it puts them out of business. They just let too many things slide, and continue to act too slowly for it not to be negligent.

Beyond BP's liability in this one event and it's clean up, we should have the liability cap a variable which relates to the amount of oil in the well.

That makes sense to me.



BULLCOOKIES!!!!!



They are no independent producers. that's a load of horsesh*t they push at times like this

Every oil producer is owned by the same mega multinationals either directly or by proxy shell corporartions. PERIOD END OF STORY


Any producer who dosent take a overt or covert buyout will soon be crushed under oodles of goverment red tape and regulation compliance issues that will destroy any profit margin whatsoever.


The oil pie has been sliced up and divided long ago.......before any of use were born

There will be no new seats at that table.


T

[Buddha]

Yeah really, what cap? What is the price of mass murder on a generational scale?

As if this whole mess can be made better with $10 billion anyway.

This is all politics as usual, this disaster will affect hundreds of millions of lives for generations. No attempt to fix this thing is working, but to the contrary all attempts are making it worse. It has been over a month now and the oil is erupting faster. I can see this thing going on for a year or more, imagine the devastation. I also don't want to imagine the effects of what actually stops the flow, nukes maybe?

Yeah, $10 billion should cover it.