With all the media attention regarding BP’s responsibility for the Gulf oil spill over the past several months, other corporations involved with the Deepwater Horizon drilling operations that led to the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history have largely been ignored. The most obvious is Transocean, the owner of the rig. But there are others. BP has gotten so much media attention, and that, combined with its massive public relations campaign costing hundreds of millions, has caused folks to forget about other companies which share blame with BP.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. were partners with BP in the ownership and exploration of the Macondo well location where the spill occurred and Transocean owned and operated the drilling rig that exploded.  Halliburton Energy Services performed crucial operations in connection with constructing the well that failed and Cameron International Corporation supplied the safety device that failed to stop the flow of oil from the well after the explosion.

Not surprisingly, each of these companies has been pointing fingers of blame at one another for causing the spill.  Despite the publicity directed BP’s way, we can’t lose sight of the fact that many companies other than BP had a direct hand in the operations that led to the environmental and economic devastation of the Gulf Coast. These companies share the blame with BP and must be required to participate in the payment of claims.