Why do you have phone numbers for dead people in your contingency plan?
…asks Chairman Markey. Markey questions each of the five executives whether it is appropriate to have phone numbers listed for "long-dead" experts and references to "walruses" that have been extinct in the Gulf for quite a while in their oil spill contingency plans. The five executives sheepishly apologize and try to dance around the question, referencing broader "mammal studies"–this despite the fact that the contingency plan is region-specific.
An embarassing start for the executives, with the 4 of whom are not BP desperately trying to distance themselves from BP. Rex Tillerson, chief executive for ExxonMobil, stresses the fact that his company would have avoided an incident like Deepwater Horizon if it was drilling the well. Citing superior safety and mechanical procedures, the executives for the other companies are subtly trying to advocate for more drilling–a precarious position indeed.