American Scandal Deepwater Horizon - Choosing Profits over the Planet | 5
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Nov 18, 2025 Zach Goldbaum, an investigative journalist and host of Lawless Planet, dives into the dark side of corporate accountability over environmental disasters. He explores how climate crises like Deepwater Horizon are often mishandled as accidents rather than crimes. The conversation reveals the stark disparity in legal treatment between activists and corporate leaders, as well as the oil industry's immense power and influence. Goldbaum emphasizes the need for individual accountability, while also shedding light on the challenges of the renewable energy transition.
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Disaster Was A Choice, Not Accident
- The Deepwater Horizon blowout was predictable given BP's history of cutting costs and deflecting blame.
- The disaster's scale exposed systemic corporate choices, not mere accidents.
Bayou Activists Put Bodies On The Line
- Zach recounts meeting activist Sheree Foytland whose husband's rig work and Deepwater drove her activism.
- Protesters chained themselves to pipeline infrastructure and used kayaks to block construction at night.
Corporate Crime Hides Behind Language
- Society struggles to recognize corporate and white-collar wrongdoing as crime despite massive harms.
- Naming corporate villains matters as much as naming individual victims to assign accountability.
