Britain Should Back Down Over BP

Oil continues to gush unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico, after an April 20 explosion of a rig leased to BP. Neither the British multinational nor the US government have come up with a way to stop the oil, and growing numbers of Americans demand action – a quick fix, cleanup, more government regulation and environmental protections, punishment for BP, criminal charges and more. The damages include irretrievable loss of wildlife, habitat and livelihoods, as well as credibility for the energy industry. Fury is directed at the company and not the home country of the company - Britain, the US president insists. But that doesn’t mean the fury will subside soon. Suggestions by BP and UK supporters that destruction of huge swathes of the Gulf of Mexico – with decades of unknown consequences – is a cost of doing business could intensify anger, leading to dire, reactionary policy implications for the energy industry and British firms as well. – YaleGlobal