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THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN THE BP OIL SPILL
--07/01/2010

As June gives way to July, the oil in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spill. Without question, British Petroleum (BP) is primarily responsible for this environmental disaster, and as such they should do their utmost to clean their mess and compensate those affected accordingly. However the federal government plays a key role in this disaster as well, and there are many things the government could have done (and still should do) to help clean this mess.

There are many questions as to why the federal government did not act quicker and more decisively than it did following the tragic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April. Since then oil has poured into the Gulf at an alarming rate, with no end in sight. The government knew of the spill, yet the established plan for handling this type of crisis was not implemented by the EPA. Why?

The Original Plan
The plan, as adopted in 1994, was to use fire booms to contain an oil spill such as this. However the government conceded that no fire booms had been manufactured since then, and thus there were none to be had. While it is questionable as to whether or not the fire booms would have been effective, the fact is that the government was unable to implement the plan it had established for a crisis such as this. 

Foreign Assistance
Since the oil began spilling, 17 different nations have offered assistance, beginning with the Dutch on April 25. It was not until June 14 that the State Department announced that some foreign help would be welcomed, and not until June 18 that the Federal On-Scene Coordinator conceded that foreign help was needed to clean the damage. What took them so long?

In addition, American EPA standards are hampering some of the foreign vessels’ efforts because they prohibit vessels from returning water to the Gulf after the water has been skimmed for oil. This has caused the vessels to become overloaded with water/oil mixtures instead of expelling the water to make room for more oil.

Furthermore, the Obama administration has still not waived the Jones Act, which states that only U.S. vessels can carry U.S. goods to and from U.S. ports. While this may not have much impact since the spill is taking place beyond the act’s six-mile shore range, it could have an impact on what kind of vessels will clean up the beaches. Even if it was only symbolic, it would have been an effective gesture if the administration waived the act, just as George W. Bush did during Hurricane Katrina, to show that bureaucratic red tape is being cut to get this crisis solved.

Bureaucracy
Roughly one-fourth of the nation’s oil skimmers are currently working on skimming the oil out of the water. Where are the other three-fourths? Apparently federal regulations require that those other skimmers remain where they are in case an emergency arises in those regions. Thus they cannot move to assist in a present emergency because they must remain on the lookout for a future emergency. This is the epitome of bureaucratic inefficiency.

Less than two weeks after the spill began, Louisiana submitted a plan to the federal government to build sand berms around the state’s barrier islands. It took over a month for the federal government to approve this plan, and even then it was only partially approved. When Louisiana began building the berms, the Interior Department halted the work because it was potentially detrimental to the birds and fish in the region. Is the gushing oil not detrimental to all living creatures in the region?

Lack of Leadership
President Obama has repeatedly stated that the federal government has been on the case since "day one." Yet he waited until Day 57 to give a national address regarding the crisis, and even then he used the time to push his cap-and-trade plan which he had been pushing ever since his candidacy.

Instead of talking about it, Obama could have actually been on site on "day one," working to cut red tape and giving the Gulf state governors what they have been asking for all along. Yet Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal still only has about 800,000 feet of boom to stop the oil from reaching the shore, even though he requested five million feet in April.

In addition, Obama used the crisis to place a moratorium on all offshore oil drilling and sending his attorney general to find someone to hold responsible. These types of responses only cause more animosity, put more people out of work, and make more people reluctant to work with their government at a time when cooperation is needed most.

And worst of all, Obama invoked the customary Progressive tactic by equating the oil spill to war (for historical references, see the "War on the Great Depression," "War on Poverty," "War on Energy Crisis," "War on Drugs," "War on Terror," etc.). Putting the crisis on a war footing allows the administration to wield more power without the usual constitutional limits. Unfortunately, wielding more power does not make up for a lack of fundamental competence.

Conclusion
While BP is primarily responsible, and must be held accountable, this disaster may be one of the worst instances of government impotence in U.S. history. It has only made what BP caused even worse, and it is vital that the people recognize this incompetence. The people cannot elect BP officials, but they can elect government officials, and they should remember this fiasco when they vote this November.