Article+Annotation+Two

Robert Schneider Kim Fortun Oil Politics BP Spill Annotation Two

“Ripple Effect,” an article written by Allison Torres Burtka, discusses the central idea of the chain of events that the BP spill has caused and the impact that it will have on people, both legally and personally, for many more years to come. Allison Torres Burtka works as the Associate Editor for the American Association for Justice in the District of Columbia and has worked as an editor at other organizations/businesses including the Water Environment Federation, Environment Magazine, and Primedia. Since her education at the University of Michigan she has covered stories about many topics including, but not limited to: health, drugs, transportation, human biases, important court cases, and a multitude of other lawsuits and legal matters.

The impact that the BP oil spill has had on this country is unimaginable and overwhelming, especially for those most directly affected by the incident. The main argument of this article, the ripple effect, can be felt in nearly every aspect of American society along the Gulf Coast region. Those who were affected range from the rig workers to the shareholders and it is clear that one business failure simply led to the demise of another business. It was noted that if oil is on the coast, no one would travel there which means no hotel business, no restaurant business, and lost taxes for local cities (Burtka, 2010, pg. 1). The legal aspects of the spill created an even bigger dilemma because some laws caused cleanup and payout limitations. The Oil Pollution Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, and the Jones Act are just some of these laws that played a role in the situation (Burtka, 2010, pg. 2). However, if the Securing Protections for the Injured from Limitations on Liability Act (SPILL) passes in the Senate, this would change some of these existing laws and could allow people who lost loved ones in the explosion to claim money for lost companionship rather than only pecuniary damages. Criminal and civil liabilities will also be reviewed under laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Migratory Treaty Act, and the Endangered Species Act (Burtka, 2010, pg. 2). In addition to all of these legal problems, some locals may also be filing more personal lawsuits for health-related spill and cleanup problems (Burtka, 2010, pg. 3). Even some shareholders are suing the company for “misleading them about the safety of the company’s operations” (Burtka, 2010, pg. 3). Given all of these circumstances, no matter how effectively and efficiently the problem is handled, it will take years before this ripple effect finally wears off.

This article, though full of information, contains some quotes which help establish the important topics being discussed. The first quote, that may be the most important in my opinion, is the simple question asked by lawyer Brent Coon, “How big a ripple effect do you have” (Burtka, 2010, pg. 1)? This question leaves a person to think about much more than what this article covers. It is not about just a business or just a personal loss, but about every way in which people were impacted and how those impacts led to further consequences. Another quote covers all of the legal problems that have and will occur: “Liability will be pretty clear, but damages will be extremely problematic” (Burtka, 2010, pg. 2). Although BP is the major company to blame, the laws, conflicts of interest with judges, and other legal battles will leave those who claim damage compensation in a mess. A third quote that highlights the personal damages done is that a woman, whose husband died in the BP explosion, “won’t console her sons by telling them how much money their dad earned” (Burtka, 2010, pg. 2). Although the families of those who died may be receiving some degree of compensation for the incident, no amount of money, especially only the pecuniary money, can make up for the loss of a loved one.

The arguments and evidence within this text support my research focus greatly because there is a lengthy discussion of both the laws involved in the recovery and the problems involved with processing the claims that were made. Laws such as the Death on the High Seas Act and the Jones Act played important roles in why both the initial cleanup and payout processes took so long to sort out. The article reveals that there were problems with the lawsuits such as reduced payments and delays in some cases, and from there I can research the reasons as to why these issues occurred.

These are some quick facts or quotes that may be of help to others in my group: • “It’s [the spill] probably the largest economic disaster our country has ever faced.” • The ripple effect (loss of hotel guests reduce restaurant business and grocery store sales, and ultimately city tax revenue) could help tourism and economics. • The Investigation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act could help explain the specifics of how the local wildlife was injured and affected.

Burtka, Allison Torres. “Ripple Effect.” __The American Association for Justice__. Aug. 2010. < [] >. Past Work and Credentials Obtained From: < [] >. < [] >.