A report commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation and released Thursday cites the oil industry for thousands of oil spills, fires, leaks and loss of life in the past decade -- most occurring before the BP spill in the Gulf focused attention on that singular disaster.
"These disasters make clear that the BP disaster isn't some rare accident," said Jason Schaefer of Grand Forks, a North Dakota representative of the wildlife federation.
"Too often, oil companies cut corners and put profits ahead of lives, local economies and the environment," Schaefer said.
Tim Warmen, the wildlife federation's director of global warming solutions, discussed the report in a teleconference call with reporters Thursday.
He said the oil industry has tried to reassure Americans that the Gulf spill was "a unique incident," but "the facts paint a picture of a reckless industry that cuts corners and puts profits ahead of people."
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He said most of the incidents detailed in the report were local stories that received little national coverage, in part because "the petroleum industry has a vast war chest (and operates) a very effective campaign to cover up this story."
Warmen recommended more effective national policies to protect people and wildlife, including elimination of the cap on oil companies' liability for damages. He also spoke against public subsidies for "dirty" fuels, such as oil drawn from the Canadian tar sands.
The report, which includes references to several incidents in North Dakota, can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/39am4s6 .
Jack Doyle, the report's author, said it highlights one incident a year through the past decade, with shorter accounts of "a representative sampling of big spills, small spills, truck spills (and) underground leaks."
He said the incidents "stem from negligence and corner-cutting, and they all can be prevented" with proper maintenance and training of workers.
A spokeswoman for the National Petroleum Council, an industry group formed to advise the government on energy policy, was not immediately available to comment on the wildlife federation's report or the comments made on its release.
Reach Haga at (701) 780-1102; (800) 477-6572, ext. 102; or send e-mail to chaga@gfherald.com .
