Oil Spill Crisis Lacks Uniformed Response

Posted by mrubin in Green Living.

The constant struggle of who should be in charge of the oil spill in the gulf has been discussed and battled over since the BP oil rig exploded over a month ago. Since then, the oil has leaked into the Louisiana bayou and is creeping its way to the Atlantic Ocean. BP has taken control of the situation, to the dismay of most Americans.

Obama’s response to the oil rig explosion has been passionate and determined. However, because he is not taking control of the clean-up, many think his position is lax and not living up to his campaign promises of being a leader in operational competence and message discipline.

Everyone wants different things to happen with the oil spill:

President Obama is being pulled multiple ways by advisors, which is stalling any federal action from taking place. He published a moratorium enforcing the immediate halt of drilling new wells and granting of environmental waivers. He has also been quoted calling the U.S. relations with BP too “cozy” over the years, but has yet to make any call to action by from the Coast Guard or federal agencies.

President of the Plaquemines Parish in the Louisiana Gulf Coast Billy Nungesser is trying to get President Obama to back the controversial plan of building sand barriers to block the oil.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was quoted saying ““BP is the responsible party, but we need the federal government to make sure they are held accountable and that they are indeed responsible. Our way of life depends on it.”

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified last week that the federal government has “limited capability and expertise” to deal with this kind of disaster in very deep water, but also stated that no one could foresee the blowout preventer not working.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has backed the responsibility of the oil spill to land on BP, but last weekend was quoted saying the U.S. government would “push out” BP if they did not show significant progress in the next few weeks.

Coast Guard Commandment Thad Allen, the leader in the U.S. response, is going against Salazar’s statement and encouraging the federal government to take a back seat to BP’s commitment to cleaning the spill, stating “They’re exhausting every technical means possible to deal with that leak”

BPs uses of the blowout preventer failed in their clean-up efforts, and have been stalled by the Environmental Protection Agency over the use of chemical dispersants to break up the spill.

Elgie Holstein, an oil-spill expert with the Environmental Defense Fund who served as an adviser to Obama during the 2008 campaign, suggested that Obama add one more element to his response plan: a pledge to create a government-run fleet capable of dealing with the next blown well.

With all the different views on what should be done, it is no wonder why the federal government is having a hard time deciding what to do about the clean-up process. BP is using every means necessary to stop the spill as their stocks continue to plummet. BP is steadily paying off the surrounding states money for tourism, but some say the money is nowhere near where it should be.

Until the oil spill stops there will be constant discussion about what should be done concerning the oil spill. Only time will tell what is actually going to be the best outcome.