I wish America would wake up and smell the roses, we are buying SUVs that really don't get used like SUV were originally intended, so therefore we are driving something that is wasting fuel. Also, we are the consumer without us the oil companies don't have anything, I think we need to look much more strongly into other fuel sources than what we are currently. Yeah BP is not an American company, but that is what Americans are going for now, if you look around all of the foreign companies are taking over our own markets. Look at the auto industry, Toyota just out sold Ford. We are losing our loyalty to our own country.

I think its ridiculous that they let the pipeline go, no inspections for 14 years and now that its so bad it has to be shutdown the consumers are going to have to pay for it. I think its a bunch of crap, and I'm sure the politicians and the oil companies are in this together and enjoying their lavish lifestyles while the rest of us are stuck at home with not social lives because we can't afford to drive anywhere but to work and back. Makes me so angry!!

The oil companies do what they do because we allow it. They provide what we insist on having and are willing to sell our souls to the devil to keep...our lifestyle. How many of us buy a car primarily based on high mileage? How many of us carpool? How many of us will circle the parking lot at Walmart several times in our SUV just to find a parking spot a few feet closer when we can walk? As a people, we apparently are willing to destroy our environment to keep our creature comforts. The oil companies are not saints, but oh don't we love what they provide us. What are you willing to do? (As the line from The Untouchables asks)Most of us are not willing to anything.

We can scream and rant about the corrupt greed of oil companies (BP is hardly unique in its willingness to put the screws to consumers whilst pocketing obscene profits) but what good will it do? I want alternatives and I want them now! Why did GM destroy its electric cars and why can't we get something comprable now?
In anticipation of yet higher rising gas prices, I did some online research and find that there are no viable electric or alternative energy vehicles available.
Will it take $10 a gallon to make the US finally put its talents and resources into a solution to sustainable transportation?

I think BP should give free gas to all US consumers until they fix the pipeline. Making money hand over fist like they do and then not spend the time and money for upkeep on their infrastructure??? That's just absolutely stupid and irresponsible. If nothing else BP's shareholders should be really annoyed that the company took that big of a risk. They should dump their stock and go elsewhere.

Had there been a series of bigger leaks than the one mentioned, the cost to the company in lost revenue, not to even mention the cost for cleanup could have been enormous. I'm all in favor of capitalism and the free market economy, but come on folks this is totally out of hand.

If I were to deface the Statue of Liberty, throw rocks at the White House, deface the US Capitol Building or any other Federal property, I would spend the rest of my life in jail or receive a monstrous fine. BP has defaced Federal land, caused oil prioces to climb higher, forced working citizens to pay more for gas to get to work, were more concerned for PR image than protecting the environment, more concerned than profits than spending to keep the pipeline secure. This is obscenity of the highest order. This company should be fined to the maximum and required to lower its profits to bring the price of gas dpown or give credits to the consumer that will suffer from this debacle. They should also be told that all profits will go into US treasury until an inspection is satisfactory to American Citizens.
The apology of the CEO is about as sincere as the mass murderer who apologises to the court and those he kills, for his crime. Unbelievable!!!!
Congress is as culpible, as they did not require inspections on these pipelines on a regular basis. BP was exempt. I wonder who allowed this insanity. Another example of politicians having no thought as to the consequences of their laying in bed with the oil companies, and unwillingness to fully fund alternitive energy sources until profitable.

BP should be responsible for any price increase at the pump. We should not pay for BP's mess and negligence. After all BP and other big oil companies have been posting record windfall profits on our expense. Oil, like electricity and other utilities, should be regulated as a public utility by PUC. Wake up America!!Enough is enough.

So, it is my thinking that if BP Oil was being so lazy on the job, they should have to pay for their own mistakes. Why should we the consumers have to pick up their slack.

This when the oil companies are making record profits. Sounds like a conspiracy to me.

Isabella

The current problem did not occur yesterday.

BP has a history of market manipulation, ala Enron.

Smell a rat yet?

See Palast for details.

At the very minimum should be the immediate resignation of Bob Malone, CEO and President of BP America for his irresponsible and careless oversight of the Alaska pipline maintenance and operations all these years. And for the extraordiary magnitude of impact this will have upon us all from a financial, labor, and supply standpoint.

Fact is, this pipeline shutdown and related oil spills were all preventable. How much more mismanagement of its assets, and public resources, is BP senior management going to tolerate????.

As a former employee of BP I greatly admired their vision on being proactive in setting the highest working and environmental standards. Restoring such credibility lost in the wake of this latest incident must begin quickly and with replacement of key BP personnel involved with this incident.

There will always be greedy corporations that take advantage of anything they can get away with. It seems like the real failing here is in the lack of oversight by the appropriate regulatory agency.

Last week they blamed the gas hike on heat.The week before that it was the continuous fighting in Israel that had not ended. It seems to me that they are pulling stuff out of their hats to justify raising gas prices. I have had enough, this is like stealing.

BP should be responsible for any price increase at the pump. We should not pay for BP's mess and negligence. After all BP and other big oil companies have been posting record windfall profits on our expense. Oil, like electricity and other utilities, should be regulated as a public utility by PUC. Wake up America!!Enough is enough.

Wow! A 250,000 gallon spill! That would cover an area measuring 182-feet by 182-feet with oil 1-foot deep. How big is Alaska? My house is on a bigger plot of land.
Why not say that the spill was 400,000 cups? Or better yet, an even bigger number would be 57,000,000 cubic inches.

This is our fault. We drive like there's no tomorrow. People wake up. Oil is running out and with India and China developing at a rapid pace, it won't take that long.

Get a good bike, get in shape and ride where you normally drive. I ride my bike to work and on errands around town. I only filled up my car 2 times this summer.

I am looking into solar energy for my home, have bought a greenhouse and am growing organic beautiful veggies that I am not afraid to consume.

I work 40-50 hours a week too so don't say I can only do this because I stay at home.

America is weak, addicted to oil and air conditioning. Our children are lazier than any generation ever. We are in for a hard and difficult time. Stop complaining and start planning. Time is running out.

I wonder if there ever was a time when there was some sort of oversight on pipelines
by the federal government either by
direct inspections from federal
employees or some sort of reporting
process required of companies like
Alyeska and/or BP to ensure compliance. I also wonder if any
of these requirements were gutted
by the people who manned the group
who came up with our current energy
policy headed up by our esteemed Vice President, Dick Cheney. As I recall it was the "inmates running the asylum". There was no open discussion and virtually
no representation from any enviormental groups. I can clearly
recall our President when asked a
few years ago what are we going to do about these high gas prices, to
which he replied in his best faux
Texas drawl, "gotta sign that energy bill". Boy, have we let ourselves be scammed by a bunch
of money hungry, gilded-age crooks.
Shame on them and shame on us.

This is just another example of the "good olde boys" from the Bush Adminstration covering up the true facts to the American people.

There is hope of the future! November elections will start the process of putting America back on the right track.

Don't blame the Oil Companies. We should only blame those appointed to protect our interests who are failing us miserably. Oil companies, like other business, have one goal in mind and that is to make money…at whatever cost. The reason they often behave irresponsibly, such as in this case, is because they can. Our great government is looking the other way perhaps because the close ties between some of our key politicians and the same industry which is having a field day with Americans. Furthermore, US car makers have also being ignoring the needs of America lagging in their efforts to launch more fuel efficient vehicles…they also looking out for themselves. What we need is some serious leadership to lead us in the right direction. Unfortunately, is nowhere to be found.

Interesting that nobody seems to recall who was President from 1993 to 2001. Or to remember that the oil companies were not profitable enough to invest in new energy infrastructure.

All of the calls for legal action to force BP to buy gas for their SUV's ignore the fact that there is no legal basis for the lawsuits.

The flowlines that failed are not subject to federal regulation although they may be covered by the state. Does anyone really believe that adding laws will keep accidents from happening? If so, there would never be a traffic accident. BP had enough incentive to inspect the pipelines - they had a failure of leadership in executing their business plan - additional incentives/disincentives may help. But I have doubts that this is the way to go.