For well over a week, GRN has been publicly pointing out conflicts of interest that stem from BP’s role as coordinator of clean up efforts for BP’s oil drilling disaster. Oiled birds must rely on BP contractors to be found and cleaned, while volunteer animal rescuers are turned away. BP is asserting control over water and air quality sampling data that they have paid for, and they’re not sharing that information with the public.Unfortunately, the federal government has often been a willing conspirator in efforts to keep the public in the dark about the true extent of this catastrophe’s damage. As we reported earlier, a recent clip from CBS News shows a member of the Coast Guard keeping people from accessing impacted areas under “BP’s rules”.Now, the New York Times has picked up on another potential conflict that will make truly holding BP accountable even harder. Apparently, most of the air and water samples taken are being analyzed by a firm with close ties to the oil and gas industry, especially BP.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/science/earth/21conflict.htmlThe one hopeful thing – BP can be convinced. The release of live, streaming footage of the oil geyser only came about after pressure from the public and members of Congress.You can ask BP for honest and fully transparent assessments of the disaster by taking action at www.bpdrillingdisaster.org.
