On 4/20 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and thousands of barrels of oil began gushing uncontrollably into the Gulf of Mexico from its damaged pipeline. Almost one month later, little has been done to stem the flow and damages to Transocean (the operator) and BP will likely run into the billions. Accidents happen and a crisis plan was surely in place, but the cost of this environmental disaster will haunt BP for years to come; not only will it damage BP’s hard earned “green” image, it will likely lead to major changes in the way Gulf oil companies do business.

Marcellus Shale operators can learn much from this costly accident. Obviously, vigorous attention to safety and adherence to industry regulations must always be job one. But planning for accidents through steady, open dialogue in the community should always follow a close second. While the consequences of a major oil accident in the Gulf are quite different than a shale gas accident in Butler county, their after affects share many similarities. Accidents in any industry hurt business. But when the industry and community share the same environment (and land) problems today will continue to be problems tomorrow.

Laying the groundwork AHEAD of an accident is far cheaper than recovering a lost reputation – and lost trust – after the fact.