So what happened to the BP oil spill?

[Martinus]

It was like big on the news and we were all going to die and all, but then it suddenly went off the radar. Was anyone held liable? Was it stopped? 

[MadImmortalMan]

Most of the "we're all gonna die" theories turn out to be crap. Are you surprised?

The apocalypse was supposed to be a couple days ago too.

[Zanza]

Was anyone held liable?

BP. And their CEO was fired.

Was it stopped? 

Yes, took about a 100 days or so. There was a lot of media reports on that, so it didn't suddenly go off the radar.

[ulmont]

It was like big on the news and we were all going to die and all, but then it suddenly went off the radar. Was anyone held liable? Was it stopped? 

The oil spill fucked up a lot of the Gulf, killed a lot of animals, ruined the oysters and fishing, and sprayed chemical contaminants everywhere.  BP cut a lot of checks to a lot of people.  Ultimately everyone not in the Gulf realized they didn't care about it and started ignoring coverage.

[Viking]

Though to us in the oil bizness it's pretty clear what probably happened. Probably doesn't cut it for the lawyers who can't tell a packer from a plug. So it's still caught in the courts. The ADHD infecting reporters means that none of the stuff actually happening is getting reported. BP is going to pay a really really really big fine (which they have already set aside the money for) while BP will sue it's sub-contractors who will settle out of court for smaller sums.


Edit: The BP CEO wasn't fired he was transferred to Russia and will retire when the time is right. iirc

[Zanza]

Release date: 27 July 2010
BP today announced that, by mutual agreement with the BP board, Tony Hayward is to step down as group chief executive with effect from October 1, 2010. He will be succeeded as of that date by fellow executive director Robert Dudley.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7063976

Mutual agreement is public relations bullshit and means he was fired. There were recently reports that he is now working for some kind of investment company that invests into Central Asian or Russian oil wells and pipelines IIRC.

[Sheilbh]

He's not working for, he set up a firm with Nat Rothschild and a lot of private equity money behind them.

[Admiral Yi]

BP cut a lot of checks to a lot of people.

This is the main reason the story didn't have legs.  You need fisherman bitching about not getting paid for the media to care.

[grumbler]

[Marti] So what about World War Two? It was like big on the news and we were all going to die and all, but then it suddenly went off the radar. Was anyone held liable? Was it stopped?  [/Marti]

[fhdz]

Some bacteria ate quite a bit of the oil, oddly.

[Richard Hakluyt]

BP settled with Anadarko, who paid them $4bn as their share of the disaster :

http://www.dailyfinance.com/article/bp-anadarko-settle-gulf-disaster-claims/1948991/

BP has also been given permission to drill in the Gulf of Mexico again by the US :

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-26/bp-wins-u-s-approval-to-drill-well-in-gulf-s-deep-waters-1-.html

.....and, as fahdiz remarked, turns out that the gulf of Mexico constantly leaks oil and has bacteria that mop most of it up.

So, the compensation fund is $20bn and the lawyers will argue for years, but in general it is back to normal business.

[The Brain]

But Japan is a radioactive wasteland, right?

[fhdz]

.....and, as fahdiz remarked, turns out that the gulf of Mexico constantly leaks oil and has bacteria that mop most of it up.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/08/24/oil-eating-bacteria-have-started-to-clean-the-deepwater-horizon-spill/

Pretty amazing stuff.

[dps]

But Japan is a radioactive wasteland, right?

Now you're teasing us.  That's cruel.

[Ideologue]

Though to us in the oil bizness it's pretty clear what probably happened. Probably doesn't cut it for the lawyers who can't tell a packer from a plug. So it's still caught in the courts. The ADHD infecting reporters means that none of the stuff actually happening is getting reported. BP is going to pay a really really really big fine (which they have already set aside the money for) while BP will sue it's sub-contractors who will settle out of court for smaller sums.


Edit: The BP CEO wasn't fired he was transferred to Russia and will retire when the time is right. iirc

A polonium watch?