[Siliespiriulk]

In fact, more oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of a major ecological catastrophe caused by oil that has poured from a leak triggered by the explosion that wrecked BP's Deepwater Horizon rig last month.

Nigeria's agony dwarfs the Gulf oil spill. The US and Europe ignore it | Environment | The Observer


YouTube - Fight continues for Nigeria oil spill victims

[CHEAPCIALISFORYOU]

This thought was occurring to me the other day about how you aren't really a good corporate citizen if you have to be forced to be one. Our government has the capacity, power, and will to force BP to clean up the Gulf. Apparently Nigeria's isn't able to or isn't interested. Lauding BP for cleaning up their mess in our back yard is a lot like lauding somebody for not committing murder solely because they are certain they will be caught.

[Caunnysup]

Shell has also polluted waters and lands of the natives/tribals in Ecuador and other places in South America; in those instances, I do believe that companies like Shell and Exxon are majority owners of the local exploration & production outfits unlike in Nigeria where the government own the majority of Shell Nigeria. In South America, last I read about this in the Economist, the oil companies basically have gone scot free.

[Edisesyethisp]

Shell has also polluted waters and lands of the natives/tribals in Ecuador and other places in South America; in those instances, I do believe that companies like Shell and Exxon are majority owners of the local exploration & production outfits unlike in Nigeria where the government own the majority of Shell Nigeria. In South America, last I read about this in the Economist, the oil companies basically have gone scot free.

The irony of this situation is that by boycotting BP all people are doing is dumping their money into these other oil companies.

[outdog]

The irony of this situation is that by boycotting BP all people are doing is dumping their money into these other oil companies.

BP will just sell their product to another company, oil is just oil. I think I read that they sold their retail stations awhile back.

[Muesrasrs]

BP will just sell their product to another company, oil is just oil. I think I read that they sold their retail stations awhile back.

Yes crude oil is fungible. Aren't gas (BP) stations usually owned by locals anyway and they pay a fee to the oil/refining companies?

[Caunnysup]

The irony of this situation is that by boycotting BP all people are doing is dumping their money into these other oil companies.

Not to mention that boycotting your local BP-branded gas station does almost nothing to BP the company. Not a thing. The local gas station is a retail outfit owned by some local guy who has a long term license to get gas from BP but that's about it. BP also sells its gasoline to non-BP branded gas stations, such as 7-11, QuikTrip, RaceTrac, etc. And there is no way for you to know whether you are actually not getting gas refined by BP... because often times gasoline itself is also bulked and stored at storage terminals and it could be from any refiner and go to any gas station... "Chevron with Techron" is really no different than Shell's gas or BP's gas...all basically the same.

You end up hurting the local gas station owner more than BP...

And here's another thing: if you ever buy 89-octane gasoline, know that it gets blended right on site or at a gasoline bulk terminal, and isn't actually produced by a refinery. It's simply a blend of lower and higher octane gasolines... I'd stick with 87 octane and be happy, unless the car needs high octane gas in which case skip the mid level grade and go with 93 octane gas.

[Siliespiriulk]

Besides the corruption, etc. I think the main problem for the Nigerians in this area will be where will there food come from in the future and how dependent will they be on foreign sources for food.

At this time people are fighting for oil but in the future will countries go to war over food supplies and water resources?

[economex]

Yes crude oil is fungible. Aren't gas (BP) stations usually owned by locals anyway and they pay a fee to the oil/refining companies?

Yes. By boycotting the stations, you only hurt a local business.

[gMUVgw71]

I do enjoy looking at the empty stations.

We have too many gas stations.

No so sure how they help an area. Do the owners live in them? They seem to be family staffed.

[globjgtyf]

Shell has also polluted waters and lands of the natives/tribals in Ecuador and other places in South America; in those instances, I do believe that companies like Shell and Exxon are majority owners of the local exploration & production outfits unlike in Nigeria where the government own the majority of Shell Nigeria. In South America, last I read about this in the Economist, the oil companies basically have gone scot free.

Whoah....Shell had nothing to do with Equador. Texaco, which was bought by Chevron, created the outrageous mess in Equador...which is worse than Nigeria. There's a documentary about it on netflix streaming.

[Caunnysup]

Whoah....Shell had nothing to do with Equador. Texaco, which was bought by Chevron, created the outrageous mess in Equador...which is worse than Nigeria. There's a documentary about it on netflix streaming.

oh, right. It was Texaco. I was going from memory, that's why I didn't cite a source as such, but knew it was one of the big boys in the oil business.

[globjgtyf]

Aggie,
Looked up the movie... if you ever want to see it, it is called "Crude".

It is available on netflix for streaming and as a DVD

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger's provocative documentary explores the ongoing battle waged by 30,000 indigenous Ecuadorans and their lawyers against Chevron for dumping billions of gallons of toxic oil waste into the Amazon. Berlinger examines the environmental catastrophe -- dubbed the "Amazon Chernobyl" -- from all sides, following the drama as it moves from the contamination site to the courtroom and beyond, even landing on the cover of Vanity Fair.