US corporation poisons garden birds

This is video about garden birds in the USA.

By Mike Ludwig, Truthout in the USA:

Scotts Miracle-Gro to Pay Record Fines for Poisoning Birds and Selling Illegal Pesticides

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 12:04

Tainted, mislabeled pesticides added to the company’s wild bird seed resulted in countless wildlife deaths, massive product recalls and unprecedented civil and criminal penalties.

America’s leading lawn care company is in big trouble for potentially poisoning wild birds across the country, and lying to the government and consumers about pesticide products.

Before a voluntary recall in 2008, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company sold 70 million units of wild bird feed that was illegally treated with an insecticide that is dangerously toxic to wild birds, fish and other wildlife. The Marysville, Ohio-based company must now pay $12.5 million in criminal and civil penalties that regulators say are the heftiest ever issued under federal pesticide law.

It’s practically impossible to quantify how many wild birds and other wildlife were impacted by Scotts’ crimes against nature, but a federal court in Ohio fined the company $4 million, plus $500,000 worth of environmental community service, after Scotts pleaded guilty to distributing the poisonous bird feed and other crimes involving mislabeled and unregistered pesticides.

In a separate civil agreement with the EPA, which launched a civil investigation after the criminal violations were discovered, Scotts agreed to pay $6 million in fines and donate $2 million to environmental projects. Regulators also are touting this settlement as the largest in the history of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which has regulated pesticides since 1947.

Scotts plead guilty to selling consumers wild bird feed that was poisonous to birds, along with deceiving regulators by falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. Misuse and mislabeling of pesticides can cause illness in humans and kill wildlife, and as a result of the settlement, a “significant number” of potentially harmful pesticides will be removed from the market, according to the EPA.

“As the world’s largest marketer of residential-use pesticides, Scotts has a special obligation to make certain that it observes the laws governing the sale and use of its products,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.

Scotts added the pesticides Storcide II and Actellic 5E to the wild bird feed to prevent insect infestations while the product was in storage, but the company apparently ignored the warning label on Storcide II that specifically states the pesticide is toxic to birds, fish and other wildlife. Scotts sold the tainted bird feed for two years after it began marketing the product, and for six months after company employees alerted management to the danger posed by the pesticides, according to the EPA.

Scotts also pleaded guilty to submitting falsified documents to the EPA and state regulatory agencies in an effort to deceive regulators into believing that the chemical formulas were registered with the EPA, when they were not.

Scotts claims an unnamed “former associate” submitted the falsified documents. The company claims this “former associate” has plead (sic) guilty to federal crimes and insists that she acted alone.

As the criminal violations came to light, the EPA launched a review of Scotts’ pesticide registrations that uncovered a list of civil violations. For at least five years, Scotts had made nationwide sales of canceled, unregistered and misbranded pesticide products, including products with inadequate warnings or cautions on their labels.

Scotts also imported pesticides into the United States without documentation required under law, causing more than 100 Scotts’ products to be in violation of federal registration law.

See also here. And here.

Related articles

• Breaking News: Outrage Over the EPA Approving Pesticides for Native Wild Horses (rtfitchauthor.com)
• Pesticides kill frogs, new research (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Stop bee-killing pesticides, Dutch parliament says (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Pro-honeybee Internet petition (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Bee Health: The Role of Pesticides (December 11, 2012) (savetheepa.org)
• Toxic rats, mice spur rodenticide battle (sfgate.com)
• EPA Withholds Pesticide Information While Bees Die (savetheepa.org)
• Pesticides and Parkinson’s: Further proof of a link uncovered (sciencedaily.com)
• European Agency concludes neonicotinoid pesticides too dangerous for bees (switchboard.nrdc.org)
• Pesticides and Parkinson’s: UCLA researchers uncover further proof of a link (eurekalert.org)

Colombian birds threatened by dam

This video is called A pair of military macaws (Ara militaris) in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

From Wildlife Extra:

Colombia mega dam will destroy habitat for threatened macaw and newly-discovered wren

Further protection would help safeguard birds

September 2012. Celebrations over the discovery in Colombia of a new species of bird were short lived when it was revealed that much of its habitat – also the habitat for a threatened macaw – is in danger of being flooded by a new hydro-electric dam project.

The discovery of the Antioquia Wren (Thryophilus sernai) in the Central Andes of Colombia came one year into a seven-year construction project for what is to become the largest power station in the country. The nearly $5.5 billion, 738 foot tall Pescadero-Ituango hydroelectric dam will flood 15 square miles of habitat, drowning all six locations where the newly identified bird has been confirmed so far.

Military macaw

Of equal concern is the likely flooding by the dam of habitat for the last colony in the region of the threatened Military Macaw. This spectacular green, red, and turquoise parrot has scattered, sparse populations throughout Central and South America, including one colony 15 miles (25 km) upstream from the dam-well within area targeted for flooding.

“The timing of this discovery of a new species seemingly couldn’t have been worse, especially given the dam project has been in the pipeline for decades and just recently has been given a green light. Despite the seriousness of the threat to these birds posed by this massive engineering project, there is still some hope to mitigate impacts to the birds,” said Benjamin Skolnik, Conservation Project Specialist for American Bird Conservancy, who oversees the organization’s conservation work in Colombia. “This region of Colombia is a world-class birding tourism destination, and the government understands how valuable birds are to the economy. This may help in the survival of the new wren and the macaw.”

Protection from logging, cattle grazing, and agriculture

One potential mitigation action that could be taken by the government to aid the new wren is the protection of non-flooded habitat upstream of the dam. If enough suitable habitat is protected as a new protected area, it may be possible to safeguard viable populations of the macaw and wren populations against loss to logging, cattle grazing, and agriculture. Detailed environmental impact studies should explore these possibilities as well as other measures to conserve remaining habitat.

Colombia birds

Colombia is home to 1,890 bird species, over 100 of which are threatened globally and 70 of which are endemic to the country. Some of the key species that are threatened are the Santa Marta Parakeet, Dusky Starfrontlet, Gorgeted Puffleg, Chestnut-capped Piha, and Blue-billed Curassow. In addition, the country boasts extensive birding infrastructure such as reserves and lodges. ABC has worked with Fundación ProAves, a leading Colombian environmental group, to establish fourteen such reserves encompassing around 50,000 acres.

“Bird conservation efforts have a history of giving back to local communities for the long haul in a fashion that has been a win-win for all concerned. The conservation programs are helping to not only protect and rehabilitate the land and forests but they also provide improved habitat for birds and other wildlife that ultimately bring in tourism dollars. And we’ve demonstrated a variety of conservation and farming techniques that benefit wildlife while at the same time offer equal or even higher farming returns,” said Lina Daza Rojas, Executive Director from ProAves.

The new wren is predominantly brown and white, and differs from similar species in several ways, including, plumage coloration of the upper parts, the pattern of barring on the wings and tail, overall smaller body size, and unique vocalizations. It prefers patches of dry forest at 820-2,800 feet (250-850 meters) in elevation in the dry Cauca River Canyon, a narrow inter-Andean valley enclosed by the rainforests of the Nechí Refuge and the northern sectors of the Western and Central Andes of Colombia.

The resultant flooding from the dam would lead to the loss of an important area for the conservation of the new wren, precisely in the sector with the least-disturbed dry forests of the region, and where other bird species of conservation concern occur. This new wren is presently known from six localities within an estimated total area of about 650 square miles (1,700 km2), and the extent and quality of its habitat are expected to decline. Thus, the species would be classified at least as “vulnerable” under IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List Criteria.

British Wildlife Photography Awards 2012

From Wildlife Extra:

British Wildlife Photography Awards winners 2012

BWPA 2012 winners

With twelve separate categories covering everything from marine life and animal behaviour to creepy crawlies and urban wildlife; the awards beautifully reveal the unseen splendour and surprising diversity of Britain’s wildlife. There are also two special junior categories to encourage young people to connect with nature through photography.

The winning image was captured on a remote location off the North coast of Scotland. Dr Matt Doggett who took the winning image said “It was an incredible experience being in the water surrounded by these high speed divers”. Judge Greg Armfield from WWF described the photograph “A striking image that manages to capture in parallel the raw power and grace of the diving gannets. A beautiful and evocative shot.”

Maggie Gowan, Competition Director says. “This has been the highest level of entries so far since the competition launched in 2009. Especially satisfying has been the increase in young entries with the partnership between RSPB Wildlife Explorers and BWPA, which bodes well for the future of wildlife conservation and photography”.

Stephen Moss, the chair of the judging panel comments “British wildlife photography is now better than ever, with some fabulous images captured by some of our greatest photographers gracing this award and exhibition”.

The winners are:

British Wildlife Photographer – Dr Matt Doggett, for his image entitled: “Gannet Jacuzzi”.

Young People’s Award WildPix / BWPA

Under 12. William Briggs, for his image of a chaffinch
12-18. Ashley Butterworth, for his image of arctic terns

The Adult Category winners are:

Animal portraits. Neil McIntyre, “red deer stag in pine forest”
Urban wildlife. Phil Jones, “starlings watching starlings”
Habitat. Alexander Mustard, “grey seal in underwater cave”
Hidden Britain. Dale Sutton, “leap for freedom”
Coast and marine. Dr Matt Doggett, “gannet jacuzzi”
Animal behaviour. Amanda Hayes, “herring gull and puffin“
Wild woods. Jeremy Walker, “New Forest in autumn”
Living landscapes. Stephen William Powles, “culm divided”
Wildlife in my backyard. David Handley, “wasp house cleaning”
Documentary series portfolio. Mark Hamblin. Feature on Blen Tanar estate.
British seasons portfolio. Jules Cox, “snow hare“.
Wildlife in hd video. Raymond Besant “fulmars“.

The Exhibition: 90 images including winning and commended entries launches at the prestigious Mall Galleries, London, on Monday 17th September and is open until Sat 22nd September. For full details of opening hours visit: http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk. A year-long nationwide tour of the exhibition will follow throughout the UK.

See also here.

World’s smallest prehistoric footprints discovery

From ScienceDaily:

World’s Smallest Fossil Footprints: Small Amphibian Roamed Earth 315 Million Years Ago

(Sep. 11, 2012) — A new set of fossil footprints discovered in Joggins, Nova Scotia, near Amherst, have been identified as the world’s smallest known fossil vertebrate footprints.

The footprints were found at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. A fossil specimen of the ichnogenus Batrachichnus salamandroides was collected by local amateur paleontologist Gloria Melanson, daughter of Don Reid, the famed Keeper of the Joggins Cliffs, while walking the Joggins beach.

“This was one of the most exciting finds I have ever made and I am very pleased that, along with my colleagues, we are able to share it with the world. Every big fossil find is by chance; it’s all about being lucky and recognizing what you’re looking at. When I saw the very small tail and toes I knew we had something special. I never thought it would be the world’s smallest,” said Melanson.

The footprints belonged to a small amphibian which would have roamed Earth 315 million years ago, a creature not unlike a salamander.

The fossil record at Joggins is most famous for its diverse skeletal record of small tetrapods, dominated by an array of small, primitive amphibians (temnospondyls and microsaurs), and the oldest known reptile, Hylonomus lyelli, entombed within once-hollow fossil tree stumps.

Small trackways of these animals at Joggins are common, but none so small as the one discovered recently. The 48-mm-long trackway preserves approximately 30 footprints with the front feet measuring 1.6 mm long and back feet measuring 2.4 mm long. Study of the footprints by paleontologists at Saint Mary’s University (student Matt Stimson) and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History (Dr. Spencer Lucas) has revealed the trace maker was a juvenile amphibian, similar to a salamander (temnospondyl or microsaur) with an estimated body length of only 8 mm from snout to tail.

Further examination shows the animal began in a walk and later changed direction as it began to run. Speculation could be made that these are some of the juvenile’s first footsteps on land after transforming from a tadpole stage that hatched in a local pond. The change in direction and speed may be interpreted as the animal either becoming startled by a larger predator, or perhaps while hunting some small insects, itself.

Melanson’s fossil is on display at the Joggins Fossil Centre at the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. The fossil is described in a paper by Stimson, Lucas and Melanson in the international scientific journal Ichnos on Aug. 27, 2012. The scientific article documents the significance of Melanson’s fossil discovery and the secrets it reveals about ancient juvenile life in the Coal Age 315 million years ago in Nova Scotia.

See also here. And here.

US religious Rightist Robertson advocates wife-beating

This video from the USA says about itself:

Pat Robertson laments that it isn’t legal to beat your wife in America, advises viewer to move to Saudi Arabia.

From the Huffington Post in the USA:

Pat Robertson, Televangelist, Encourages Man To Become Muslim So He Can Beat His Wife

09/11/2012 6:30 am

Once again, Pat Robertson has said something ridiculously offensive and cruel.

Past targets have included gays, feminists and pagans, atheists, people with Alzheimer’s, adoptive parents, Haitians and people who don’t pray enough. This time, the televangelist focused his ire on wives who fail to properly obey their husbands.

On Monday’s broadcast of Robertson’s television show “The 700 Club,” he answered a question from a viewer named Michael about how to repair his marriage to a woman who “has no respect for me as the head of the house.”

Robertson’s response: “Well, you could become a Muslim and you could beat her.”

Bizarrely, this comment elicited laughter from Robertson’s co-host, Terry Meeuwsen.

Unfortunately, Robertson didn’t stop there.

“I don’t think we condone wife-beating these days but something has got to be done to make her.”

He also called the woman a “rebellious child” who doesn’t want to “submit to any authority.” However, since the Scripture doesn’t allow for divorce, Robertson urged the husband to “move to Saudi Arabia,” where, ostensibly, beating the woman would be permissible.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE.

According to Right Wing Watch, the very same clip was edited when posted on the Christian Broadcast Network’s website in order to remove the offensive rhetoric.

And if you’re tempted to write off Robertson as just a fringe character, know this: He spent last weekend hanging out with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, NBC News reported.

For more outrageous Robertson quotes, check out the slideshow below here.

Pat Robertson: Muslims ‘go crazy’ because they have the spirit of a ‘wild donkey’: here.

Male harrier raises chicks on his own

This is a video from Sweden about a male marsh harrier.

Translated from the blog of Staatsbosbeheer on Texel island, the Netherlands:

Birdwatcher and Forestry volunteer Klaus Brass saw something special this year when a marsh harrier nested along the Waalenburgerdijkje on Texel. He wrote this report:

A ‘bad mother’ Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus, or: how a male raises youngsters without help

While we were mowing along the busy cycle track between the old dike and the Pijpersdijk on Texel a Forestry colleague had observed a marsh harrier, flying just above the reed bed. He said there probably was a nest there. I wanted to know exactly and sat down on a bench on the other side of the bike path near trees. And yes, there suddenly a male appeared with prey. It landed about 35 meter before me in the reed bed, and reappeared after 20 long minutes. It seemed as though the male had been dividing the prey on the nest; so, not the usual prey transfer to the female in mid-flight. In the vicinity of the nest, after two hours of observation, still no female in sight. This observation made me more curious. Also the next day, the still rather young (probably two years old) male was the only one going to the nest with prey.

…

The weather conditions were bad for raptors during the breeding season, especially in the second half of June: strong winds and heavy rain do not really contribute to the success of a brood. 2012 was also anything but a good mouse year. My observations at the nest confirmed that: the prey brought by the male consisted for up to 80% of (edible) frogs, which he dumped without dividing into the nest. Sometimes the father came flying in with a rat or a moorhen.

…

Only on the 41st day my suspicion became reality, because I then saw three young marsh harriers taking off simultaneously. A small miracle!

…

The literature has described just one similar case, of a male Marsh Harrier in the Ebro Valley in Spain, which, after the 37-38th day of the nestlings’ lives lost his partner for unknown reasons (Fernández & Azkona 1992).

…

Why the healthy looking female stopped feeding her young is unknown. The nest is located 30 meters from a cycle track where people used to pass almost constantly. At 20 m away, sometimes kids played or there were dogs running on the lawn and twice there was a tractor making hay for hours. With a little sunshine people sat down on the bench, enjoying blooming rape field blooming beautifully. Possibly these human activities were too much for the female.

See also here.

RSPB Hen harrier research receives special recognition in raptor science competition: here.

Paleocene mammal fossil discovery

From Discovery News:

Post-Dinos Mammal Was Fat and Slow

This mammal wasn’t much of a runner. But with the dinosaurs gone, it really didn’t need to be.

By Jennifer Viegas

Tue Sep 11, 2012 06:46 AM ET

Many of the mammals that emerged right after the non-avian dinosaur extinction were hearty creatures, as exemplified by Ernanodon, a beast described in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The skeleton that is the focus of the study is nearly complete, revealing how this early mammal looked in the flesh and lived.

“Ernanodon was a badger-sized, rather chunky mammal with a short square skull, extremely reduced dentition and big claws on the forelimbs,” lead author Peter Kondrashov told Discovery News.

The structure of the forelimb indicates that this animal was doing a lot of digging, probably mostly in the search of food,” added Kondrashov, who is an associate professor and chair of the Anatomy Department at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He and colleague Alexandre Agadjanian analyzed the skeleton, which dates to the Late Paleocene (60 to 55 million years ago). This Ernanodon individual lived in Mongolia. Other, less complete, remains were previously found in China.

“Ernanodon is a unique find and represents one of the most complete skeletons ever collected from the Paleocene of the Naran Bulak locality,” said Agadjanian, who works at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The animal’s hind limbs were almost flat-footed, so the researchers don’t think Ernanodon was much of a runner. It instead appears to have spent most of its days digging and eating, without much chomping.

“Based on the structure of the teeth — very thin enamel layer, reduced tooth size — it appears that the food was rather soft and did not require a lot of chewing,” Kondrashov explained. “Similar dental structure is observed in mammals that feed on termites, ants and other social insects, so we think that it was specialized in feeding on social insects as well.”

While Ernanodon is long gone and has no direct descendants, the scientists believe this animal was related to a group of extinct mammals known as palaeanodonts. They too had bulky bodies, tiny teeth, and big claws for digging.

These animals are, in turn, related to modern mammals called pangolins, or scaly anteaters, which live in Africa and Asia.

Based on the earlier evidence for Ernanodon, scientists thought the then enigmatic mammal was related to modern armadillos or sloths. While pangolins somewhat resemble these animals in appearance and behavior, they represent a different genus and species.

Ernanodon is just one of many mammals that came to prominence after the great non-avian dinosaur extinction.

“This animal comes from the time period known as the Paleocene, which followed the Cretaceous, so it probably evolved as a result of appearance of numerous new niches after the dinosaurs went extinct,” Kondrashov said.

“We know very little about Paleocene deposits in Asia,” he added, “and this find sheds a lot of light on the early evolution of mammals in Asia.”

See also here.

More Paralympics TV viewers

This video says about itself:

Dutch paralympic tennis player Esther Vergeer talks to Erin McLaughlin about the rising popularity of paralympic sports.

Translated from Dutch news agency ANP:

Dutch NOS TV looks back contentedly on the broadcasts about the Paralympic Games. Their daily Paralympic magazine on Netherlands 1 TV averaged nearly 650,000 viewers. This is a doubling of the figures of the games of four years ago, says the broadcaster.

“Our biggest compliment is the criticism that we actually should have broadcast more of the Paralympic Games” says NOS director Jan de Jong.

US Navy threatens rare whales

This video from the USA says about itself:

Navy sonar harms whales and dolphins. Check out this video and hear what it sounds like, and see what it does to these marine mammals. Earthjustice is working to get the Navy to use their sonar in places where it won’t harm whales and dolphins.

For more information, go to http://www.earthjustice.org/sonar

From Associated Press:

Judge rules Navy can train near endangered whales

Reported by: Jenifer Andrews

9/10 10:16 pm

The range is for submarine warfare despite environmentalists’ concerns that it would threaten endangered right whales.

U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled the Navy took a “hard look” before concluding risks to whales would be minimal off the coast of southern Georgia and northern Florida, where the whales migrate each winter to give birth. She cited case law saying judges should give “great deference” to the military regarding its training.

The Southern Environmental Law Center sued the Navy in 2010, saying the range would threaten right whales with ship strikes, entanglement with parachutes and possible harm from sonar.

Environmentalists asked the Navy to suspend training during the five-month calving season.

By Russ Bynum, Associated Press:

Judge says Navy can train near rare Atlantic whales

9/10/2012 11:42 PM

Savannah, Ga. – The Navy can build a $100 million offshore range for submarine warfare training, despite environmentalists’ fears that war games would threaten endangered right whales, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled the Navy took a “hard look” before concluding risks to the rare whales would be minimal at the proposed training site 50 miles off the coast of south Georgia and north Florida. Environmentalists sued to block the project in 2010, saying it’s too close to the waters where right whales give birth to their calves each winter.

The groups that sued said Monday they’re weighing an appeal. Experts say only about 400 right whales remain, and each death brings the species a significant step closer to extinction.

“They are critically endangered and I think deserve a weight beyond other species,” said Sharon Young, marine issues director for the Humane Society of the United States, one of the groups that sued the Navy. “We certainly would never argue to undermine our national defense, but it’s also reasonable to ask the military not to jeopardize a species that is just barely hanging on.”

The proposed training range would consist of 300 sensors connected by a web of cables on the ocean floor in an area covering about 500 square miles. The Navy, which has bases nearby in both states, would use the site to train with a mix of submarines, surface ships and aircraft.

The Navy plans to begin construction as soon as 2014 and begin training on the site in 2018, said Jene Nissen, the range’s program director and a retired Navy commander. …

The Southern Environmental Law Center, which sued on behalf of a dozen conservation groups, argued construction of the training site and the war games themselves would put right whales at risk of collisions with ships, entanglement in cables from parachutes attached to Navy buoys and potential harm from sonar.

The Navy agreed to suspend construction at the site from November to April, when right whales migrate to the warm southern Atlantic waters to give birth.

Before suing, conservationists had also asked the Navy to halt training at the site during those months and to comply with offshore speed limits the government imposes on private and commercial ships.

The Navy refused, saying the precautions would interfere with its ability to train effectively and maintain readiness.

…

Young of the Humane Society said she believes stricter precautions would have been imposed for a civilian project, such as offshore wind turbines.

…

Environmentalists argue even trained spotters have trouble seeing right whales swimming just below the ocean’s surface. Their fears of whales swimming near the training site were bolstered in March 2010, when biologists recorded a right whale giving birth about 10 miles from the proposed range.

Right Whales Wronged: Judge allows Navy to expand sonar use in Florida calving area: here.

New Navy estimates showing many more dolphins, whales and other marine mammals could be hurt by sonar off Hawaii and Southern California caused alarm among environmentalists on Friday: here.

Navy Admits Whales and Dolphins in Harm’s Way: here.

How Navy Sonar Kills Whales and Dolphins: here.

BP’s ‘profits above safety’ kills

This video about the Piper Alpha disaster off Scotland is called Worst offshore disaster ever that left 167 dead.

From Linköping Universitet in Sweden:

Unnecessary oil disasters

11 September 2012

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 could have been avoided if the experiences of earlier disasters had been put to use, researcher Charles Woolfson, Linköping university, claims. The United States government is now accusing BP of gross negligence and deliberate misconduct, and taking the company to court.

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the ocean south of the southern coast of the US. The explosion led to the deaths of eleven people and an unfathomable environmental catastrophe.

Charles Woolfson, former professor of Labour Sociology in Glasgow and currently professor of Labour Studies at REMESO, Linköping university, conducted a large study of the world’s biggest oil disaster – the Piper Alpha – in the 1990s. 167 people lost their lives when this production platform sank into the North Sea in 1988.

In a new study, he now compares the two disasters and the (inadequate) culture of safety that caused them. He finds, he writes, several depressing similarities. If the right lessons had been learned from Piper Alpha, the accident at Deepwater Horizon would never have happened, he claims. The recommendation issued at that time should have become a turning point.

Woolfson points out a fundamental contradiction between safety and profitable production. In both disasters, there are examples of cost-cutting decisions that worsened safety. In the Deepwater Horizon case, a final independent test of the fateful cement seal was cancelled. The test would have cost USD 128,000 (EUR 101,000).

Woolfson has received unexpected support – from the United States government, which recently submitted an application for a summons indictment through its Justice Department. The words and actions of the company concerning safety “should not be tolerated even in a medium-sized company producing goods for a shopping mall,” according to the 39-page document.

Two other critical factors Woolfson emphasizes are what’s known as “regulatory capture” and the fear-stricken, disunited employees.

Regulatory capture means that the independent agency inspecting an industry identifies itself more and more with the companies of that industry and their interests. This happened the Gulf of Mexico, where the number of exemptions from various environmental requirements increased from three in 1997 to 795 in 2000, all to avoid “cumbersome and unnecessary delays” in production. A program for tightened safety regulations dragged through endless consulting processes with the industry and ultimately never came to anything.

Cutbacks also affected the regulatory agency. The shrinking number of inspectors lacked sufficient training, and became more and more dependent on the expertise and information of the oil companies. This is according to the Obama-appointed independent National Commission’s own 2011 report on Deepwater Horizon. The same weakness was pointed out after Piper Alpha. The industry’s promises on self-regulation, voluntary enforcement and standards of conduct effectively torpedoed all demands for stricter supervision of safety arrangements.

The hesitation among the employees and the fear of making independent decisions also affected the catastrophic development of events in both cases, Woolfson states. On Deepwater Horizon, for example, the crew dared not make a decision about activating an emergency system that could have constrained the disaster.

In total, BP has claims for damages against it totalling almost USD 70 billion (EUR 55.1 billion). The company denies all the accusations of negligence and misconduct.

“The fundamental questions we must ask are: What went wrong, who is responsible, and how can we prevent it from happening again?” Woolfson says.

“Industrial accidents don’t just ‘happen’, they are often the result of a weak culture of safety and companies systematically failing to prioritize safety.”