What bothers me as much as anything about the damned oil spill is this [View All]

the damage to the environment will be longlasting & expensive to deal with (and deadly to so many innocent wild critters), but the oil companies seem to "own" the profits and back away from the obligation for the harm that they have done.

I know that accidents do happen, but as part of any profit-contingency, they should be required to maintain a HEFTY "accident escrow" account.

the Coast Guard (FEDERAL AGENCY) is out there busting-ass, trying to do what they can, and the oil companies involved seem content to issue press releases that seriously underestimate the volume of leaked oil, and they seem to act as if the goo "may or may not" even reach the shore.. #^%^$#@!$
Once on-shore, the various state agencies & individual people will then have to spend time & money to try & clean things up.

Their lawyers will be working overtime to try & avoid complicity, but the people and other living creatures along the coast will be living with and or dying from this nightmare for a long time to come, and people of Alaska can attest to the fact that little if any "compensation" will ever reach them.

Oil companies have been raking in INSANE profits for a very long time, and yet every time there is a refinery accident or something like this,they just tack on any expense they incur onto their price and rake in even MORE profits..