United States Congress

London based oil giant BP has been in the news a lot in recent days in connection with the oil rig explosion and subsequent spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, the cost of this disaster will be enormous. Legally, BP is required to cover all of the cleanup costs, likely to run into the millions.

But the real danger to BP lies in the thousands of individuals that will be hurt by the impending ecological disaster. Fishermen all along the gulf coast could face an extended period of no fishing due to the oil slick and the ensuing fish and shrimp shortage, and that means documentable financial loss. Beyond the immediate financial effect on the natives, the loss of so much of the nation’s supply of shrimp and other fish will likely make a severe dent in businesses across the country, some of those costs could eventually wind up on BP’s lap.

The executive branch isn’t helping much either. President Obama has unreasonably suggested a federal investigation into the disaster. The last thing a beleaguered corporation needs in the middle of a fiasco like this is a nosy investigation team asking ridiculous questions like “how did this happen?” and “why didn’t you employ the latest safety measures that include a remote shut off valve to cut the flow of oil in the event of a rig explosion such as this one?”

Fortunately, BP is prepared. The British company has spent years building up a strong relationship with the United States Congress through its team of regular lobbyists. With many big names on their role of registered lobbyists — including several former government officials — BP is one of the best positioned multinational corporations in the world to face such a devastating PR blow.

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