Do not let ConocoPhillips go unpunished

In recent days, the oil spill in the Bohai Sea has passed on variables and unusual sounds.

Before this, 107 fishermen formally filed a lawsuit with the Tianjin Maritime Court, demanding that ConocoPhillips China compensate economic losses by more than 490 million yuan. Three days later, ConocoPhillips said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the company tested the water quality around the drilling platform of the Penglai No. 19-3 oil field and conducted investigations along the coast. There is basically no evidence that this year was June. The occurrence of oil spills has had an impact on the environment.

From the beginning to avoid talking about environmental impacts, ecological damage compensation, and the announcement of the establishment of Bohai compensation under pressure from all parties, and then denied that ConocoPhillips’ attitude in the Bohai oil spill was strong. Regarding their words and deeds, both the victims and the functional departments, both the media and the public, are extremely resentful and resentful. However, from the perspective of ConocoPhillips, it is not difficult to understand the above-mentioned “defends” as a multinational with a profit as its top goal.

As the largest oil refining company in the United States, ConocoPhillips has faced many huge penalties. In the last 10 years, the company has been involved in many environmental lawsuits or disputes in Louisiana, Washington, Florida, and Texas. It has finally been ordered to be compensated by state courts, or fined by state agencies, or With the federal and state governments reached a settlement agreement, a total of 67.86 million U.S. dollars will be paid. If the calculation is based on the latest exchange rate of 6.3890, it will be equivalent to more than 4 billion U.S. dollars. It is worth noting that none of them was ConocoPhillips' voluntary penalty.

However, looking at the oil spill in the Bohai Sea, more than half of the oil spill in the past has only remained in the stage of denouncement, public accusations, and administrative investigations, and the legal proceedings have not yet begun. In other words, various damages to the ecological environment and public interests in China caused by the oil spill in the Bohai Sea, as well as the company’s suspected illegal behavior, have not yet been confirmed by the court. Under this circumstance, ConocoPhillips has resorted to the "presumption of innocence" and put forward a gesture of "innocent people" and denies it. This really reflects the tyrannies of some big companies.

As a victim of direct interests, we cannot expect ConocoPhillips to become a philanthropist, but we cannot allow it to play tricks and delay the art. As time passes, oil on the sea is dissipating, and evidence collection may become more and more difficult. If it is not possible to enter the legal proceedings as soon as possible, ConocoPhillips could become the biggest net fish.

This latest position of ConocoPhillips is equivalent to pounding a knife on the wounds of victims of pollution incidents. This tough and unyielding attitude has in fact revealed a dangerous signal that certain physical evidence may have lost the validity of lawsuits. In addition to a strong response, what options do we have? Do not let ConocoPhillips go unpunished!