Well, I don’t know ... it seems to me that BP is the one responsible, if they own the rig (perhaps it was owned by several partners...). Anyway, whoever owns it, they’re the ones who are going to be responsible to clean up the mess.
There is only one other party I can think of that could possibly be “responsible” for this cleanup — and this “other party” is usually responsible for a lot of these kinds of troubles.
That “other party” who may be “responsible” for the “clean-up” of this mess — well..., that’s the American Taxpayer. And to tell you the truth, the way I see it all working out is that BP is going to shift a good part of that “responsibility” over to the American Taxpayer.
So, I would say, “Get ready to be as responsible for this mess, as BP is...” as that’s probably what is going to happen ... anyway...
I mean, the “money” is going to come from somewhere, and it’s either going to come from the “business and investors” or it’s going to come from the American Taxpayer... [... I’m not sure which one you want it to be, though ...]
How much has BP paid in taxes to the U.S. Treasury?
BP doesn't own the rig. Transocean Drilling owns the rig.
I don't profess to have intimate knowledge of their contractual arrangements, and I'd bet the politicians proclaiming "responsibility" (quite possibly in violation of service contracts) don't have any knowledge of how the oil industry conducts business at all.
No more than than they understand mutual liability waivers in standard service provider contracts (like with the fishermen who wanted to work on the cleanup).
Rights and responsibilities of the contractual parties are spelled out in detail, and I am sure the lawyers for all companies concerned, from manufacturers to drilling fluids reps, to rig instrumentation providers, and a host of other companies have been poring over all the fine print while the press and politicians blab on...
I have only heard oilfield rumors as to the events leading up to the disaster, (so I won't repeat them here), but if they were correct, the situation was complex, and a host of things which should not have gone wrong went wrong, seriously and irrecoverably, simultaneously.
Who is liable for what portion of the mess might not be decided for years.