Why is BP any different than any other company? They all use the same subcontractors for everything from preparing paperwork to drilling to cleanup.
ROCKMAN on July 1, 2010 - 2:16pm
Tango -- actually the MMS has shut down drilling ops in the past on a per rig basis. Don't know that stat but I doubt is has happened very often. Usually the violators "get ink". The ink brings fines and get enough ink and they will shut you down. But I think full op shut downs have been rare. But all the operators knew it could happen at any time so I don't think a current example would make much difference.
As far as being ready per se individual companies have never been ready nor will ever be ready. There is a consortium, called Clean Gulf Associates, that is responsible for spill cleanup. All the offshore operators are mandated by the feds to join CGA and pay annual fees as well as individual well fees to financially support CGA. And this is another tricky area for the MMS: the CGA capabilities are mandated by the gov...not the industry. If the gov wanted CGA to have twice the response capability it had the day the BP explosion occurred all the MMS has to do is so order it. Obviously the spill response capability was never designed to handle what's going on in the GOM right now. But the existing capabilities were jointly designed by the industry and the feds. IOW there a lot of room to spread the blame around IMHO.
theoildrum.com
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Membership Information
Welcome to Clean Gulf Associates! This is your link to the spill response community and we want to make it the best possible. This website was established for better communication between the coop and the member companies. It is a dynamic site - changing to suit the varied needs of the member companies, keeping you current on new equipment and response trends, regulatory and industry initiatives in the Gulf of Mexico - just another way to stay in touch. We want you to know what changes are taking place within the cooperative and the world of spill response with links to federal and state agencies, and industry associations. Let us hear from you soon!
Clean Gulf Associates (CGA) formed in 1972 with 33 Gulf of Mexico Oil & Gas E&P operators. Today, with the influx of independent operators, 140 companies have joined CGA, making the association the largest oil spill response cooperative in terms of membership in North America.
A not-for-profit organization, CGA has an open member policy. The only requirement for membership is that the company be or intend to be a producer and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership. Associate membership is also available to companies that fit the criteria for that type of member.
Costs to operate CGA are allocated to members by a formula that includes a per capita charge and step rate per barrel charges. Annual costs are $12,800 for all members which covers production up to 650,000 bbls. Barrel step up charges for 650,000 to 1M barrels, 1M to 6M, and 6M+ are billed to members by quarterly cash calls. New members pay an initial fee ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on their production.
Members have citation rights to include CGA equipment and MSRC personnel in their spill plans. Non CGA members can rent the equipment after signing the MSRC non-member agreement but have no citation rights for equipment or personnel.
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