offshore drilling

Privatization Is Killing Us: Dispatches from the War on Society

As the capitalist elite continues to pour ever more resources into its crusade to dismantle society, it’s important to keep a tally of the damage done—if only to direct popular attention to where it’s needed most, and to where the Left’s own resources are needed most. High on the list of capitalist priorities, and thus of priorities for left-wing resistance, is the goal to privatize everything from education to nature to policing and soldiering. With that in mind, here’s a list of some recent “negative externalities” of privatization that I’ve culled from news sources.

Total’s Report On Amazon Reef Drilling Reveals Oil Spill Risk To Nearby Countries

The controversial offshore oil project in the mouth of the Amazon river could pose significant spill risk to nearby countries, according to documents from drilling giant Total.
The findings have led to the company to disown key parts of its own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
In a statement to Energydesk, Total said: “The countries and numbers you mention refer to a scenario in a specific location where Total will never drill.”

Oil Giants Admit Risk Of Spill In Drilling Project Near Amazon Reef

People stand together to spell out a message that reads in Portuguese: “Defend the Amazon coral reef”, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 29, 2017. The event is a protest organized by the non-governmental environmental group Greenpeace against announced plans to explore for oil in the Amazon River Basin. (AP/Mario Lobao)
The controversial offshore oil drilling project in the mouth of the Amazon river could pose a significant risk to the mysterious nearby coral reef, according to documents filed by Total and BP.

A Devil’s Advocate Rings in a Bad Night for Bankers

-by Skip KaltenheuserIt was a long hard slog to publish Lucifer's Banker. Had Brad Birkenfeld managed to get his book out say, a year or so earlier, we might not be staring at the political train wreck we are now. It might have changed the political landscape, perhaps the standard bearers. Maybe even elevated different issues for the last lap beyond the cursory checklist now fed us. But I’m glad it’s arrived.

Merkley & Sanders Introduce Bill to End New and Non-Producing Oil and Gas Leases on Public Lands

Source: Bureau of Land Management. Does not show area available for offshore drillingby Gaius PubliusThe idea of ending the hypocritical role of the federal government in aiding and betting the warming of our planet is not a hard idea to hold, especially if you're a climate-aware citizen, or climate-aware president.