Thanks Ebbie, you flatter me.

I'm actually trying to softpedal any conclusions of mine but help people make their own conclusions based on what is really happening up there which is frequently misrepresented on both sides of the issue.

My project, which was in the mid 90's, would've basically had me report 'up the chain of command' so my responsibility was to report to my boss and he had to report to his, etc. etc. The people I worked with and myself would've had nothing to gain by not reporting spills because those were our instructions. But it wasn't our focus. Our focus was on safety issues.

Chuck Hamel is a well known bete noir among the oil companies. I believe he's a whistleblower, which has a specific industry meaning and status, but I have not followed his activities for some time. He is not a bullsh*tter, that's for sure, in other words what he says should be listened to. doesn't make him always right (or wrong), however. Basically, he's a player with knowledge and history.