Tony Hayward Quotes: BP CEO Gaffes Or Remarks That Wents Wrong

by NowPublic Staff | June 2, 2010 at 03:29 pm

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Tony Hayward Quotes and Comments: BP CEO Favorite But Necessary Punching Bag

The CEO of BP, Tony Hayward has become America's favorite (albeit well deserved) punching bag as he commits one awful gaffe after another or as what is more diplomatically known as having "mispoken."

Tony Hayward, a boyish 53 year old, has been the front man for BP ever since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig blew up and oil began spewing into the Gulf of Mexico in what has become the worst environmental disaster in American history.

BP CEO: Top Tony Hayward Quotes, Gaffes, Remarks

Tony Hayward, BP CEO, "I want my life back" comment

"We're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused to their lives," Hayward said."There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I'd like my life back

He was immediately slammed for the quote as people pointed out what about the 11 workers who died? What about the communities of the Gulf Coast? Since that quote aired on the Today Show Tony Hayward has apologized.

Hayward said "those words don't represent how I feel about this tragedy, and certainly don't represent the hearts of the people of BP — many of whom live and work in the Gulf — who are doing everything they can to make things right.

Tony Hayward, BP CEO, "There are no plumes."

Then there is the issue of massive underwater oil plumes. BP and some scientists say the oil below the surface will float to the top therefore there are no underwater oil plumes.

"The oil is on the surface," Hayward said. "There aren't any plumes."

Other scientists like James H. Cowan Jr., a professor at Louisiana State University, say this oil spill could be different because the chemical dispersants broke up the oil into chunky particles.

"It almost looks like big wet snowflakes, but they're brown and black and oily," Cowan said. The submarine returned to the surface entirely black, he said.

Cowan said that the submarine traveled about 400 feet down, close to the sea floor, and found oil all the way down. Trying to find the edges of the plume, he said the submarine traveled miles from side to side.

Tony Hayward also addressed the issue of the safety of workers cleaning up the Gulf Oil Spill. Seven oil spill clean up workers were in hospital after reporting dizziness, headaches and nausea.

Tony Hayward, BP CEO, On Sick Workers

"I am sure they were genuinely ill, but whether it was anything to do with dispersants and oil, whether it was food poisoning or some other reason for them being ill, you know, there's a—food poisoning is surely a big issue when you've got a concentration of this number of people in temporary camps, temporary accommodations.""

Medical officials who treated the workers had a different theory.

West Jefferson Medical Center spokeswoman Taslin Alfonso said doctors believe the likely cause is chemical irritation and dehydration from long hours working in the heat.

Alfonso said the workers told doctors they believe chemicals used to break up the oil made them ill.

Tony Hayward, BP CEO, On Impact of Oil Spill "

I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest."

To be fair he did say that on May 18th, days after the spill but even then scientists were warning the impact could be catastrophic.

Now, at least one US politicians is calling on CEO Tony Hayward to step down. US Congressmen, Rep Charlie Melancon is calling on Hayward to resign, or for the Board of MP to fire him.

For his part Tony Hayward is standing firm, saying BP will be able to absorb the cost of the clean up, that the stock hit is temporary and that he is in the middle of the an unrelenting, unforgiving media storm.

He described himself as being at the 'vortex' of a frenzy. He believes this was being driven by two factors. 'There are those who want the Obama presidency to fail and they want this spill to be his "hurricane Katrina" - the domestic disaster which so undermined George W Bush,' the BP boss said.

'And there are those who don't like oil and want energy policy to be in a different place.' Hayward remained optimistic that his latest plan to cap the well, with a specially engineered dome, would help to stem the flows. he also indicated that the company-has contingency plans at hand designed to limit the spills in case of hurricanes.

Finally, to get a sense of Tony Hayward prior to the Oil Spill disaster it is worth taking a look at this excerpt from address to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, on 12 May, 2009. In it he talks about how the culture at BP needed to change by saying.

"We had too many people who working to save the world..."

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catastrophizer (not verified)

at 08:56 on June 3rd, 2010

Are the oil-spill clean-up workers being poisoned by fumes, or is BP CEO Tony "The Face" Hayward right in claiming they just ate the wrong potato salad? I'm going with Tony on this one because he's just the CUTEST. www.catastrophizer.com

Soyunangel

at 20:06 on June 4th, 2010

So, the CEO doesn't eat the same potato salad as the workers, doesn't sleep in the same quarters as the workers, doesn't earn the same as the workers, and still wants his life back?

Angela Erickson (not verified)

at 17:30 on June 11th, 2010

I'm sick to my stomach everyday. My heart goes out to the people directly effected and the generations that are going to be living with the aftermath.. It now is the time to make change. We need to ask ourselves... what can we do to not be dependants on oil.

babyandy (not verified)

at 16:24 on June 21st, 2010

its impossible

cjohnson596 (not verified)

at 07:53 on July 1st, 2010

The BP oil company is little more than organized crime, harbored by the governments of the countries that it operates in. However, BP exists because of our demand... they are supplying our addiction to their product: hence supply and demand. We are at equal fault with this disgusting corporate entity. I wonder what history will think of this bitter irony. That is, if there’s anybody left to look back on this era of world destruction.

sean higgins (not verified)

at 00:10 on July 8th, 2010

does anyone know the amount of 'mistakes' made by BP in the last couple of years, because it seems like oil has always been shady but BP is either completely incompetent or crooks

Phil Davies (not verified)

at 02:50 on July 25th, 2010

This man is a smug, insensitive, overpaid idiot who's slimier than the oil his company is pumping into the gulf. The sooner we see the back of him, the better. Although I suspect he won't lose any sleep knowing that he'll live out the rest of his life as a conscience-free multmillionaire. You got your life back Tony. Now *$£* off!