It seem that too many politicians are scrambling to maintain the status quo.
Senate Democrats are calling for the Obama administration to improve inspections of deepwater oil rigs such as the one that exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawmakers said oil companies should pay for the emergency inspections, not taxpayers.
The blast killed 11 people and has spilled millions of gallons of oil.
In a letter Wednesday to President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats urged immediate and enhanced inspections of all offshore drilling rigs and platforms that could pose a significant environmental threat…
…On the payment issue, a spokesman for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said the federal government should adopt a reimbursement system similar to oil spill cleanup. The Coast Guard and other federal agencies are working to clean up and contain the oil spill, but will be reimbursed by BP PLC, the oil giant that was operating the Deepwater Horizon rig. A similar system could be created for inspections, said Afshin Mohamadi, a spokesman for Menendez… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Bay Ledger>
This should go without saying. Frankly, I feel anger that taxpayers have been footing the bill for the bogus inspections MMS has performed on oil rigs. But how are inspectors going to inspect Deepwater Horizon? They are trying to close the proverbial barn door too late.
And given the name of Mendez’ spokesman, expect the GOP to call this a terrorist conspiracy.
The next idea is better.
The Obama administration moved on Wednesday to abolish the beleaguered agency that oversees offshore drilling and replace it with three separate entities.
The plan by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar would eliminate the Minerals Management Service and replace it with two bureaus and a revenue collection office. The name Minerals Management Service would no longer exist, a spokeswoman said.
Members of Congress and President Barack Obama have criticized what they call the cozy relationship between regulators and oil companies and have vowed to reform MMS, which both regulates the industry and collects billions in royalties from it.
The latest plan is the second proposed restructuring of the drilling agency since the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last month. Salazar last week proposed splitting the agency in two. On Wednesday he said the agency’s three main functions should be split up to avoid what he called "real or perceived" conflicts of interests.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement would inspect oil rigs and enforce safety regulations. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would oversee leasing and development of offshore drilling. And the Office of Natural Resources Revenue would collect billions of dollars in royalties for onshore and offshore drilling.
"These three missions — energy development, enforcement and revenue collection — are conflicting missions and must be separated," Salazar said at a news conference.
Employees of the minerals agency "deserve an organizational structure that fits the mission that they are asked to carry out," Salazar said. Under the proposed restructuring, employees would get greater clarity for their roles and responsibilities, strengthening oversight of companies that develop oil, natural gas and other resources, he said.
The enforcement and energy bureaus would report to an assistant Interior secretary for land and minerals management, while the revenue office would report to a policy, management and budget official, Salazar said.
It was not clear how much of the proposed restructuring would need congressional approval. Salazar and other officials said the administration would work with Congress to complete the reforms… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Bay Ledger>
I support this idea in principle, but it does not go far enough. What difference will it make, if the same Bush/GOP moles that undercut MMS just move to a new office. In addition, those employees whose primary qualification for the jobs they hold is passage of a GOP ideology test? Pest control is in order, here.
However, no matter how good a job everyone does, Murphy’s Law will remain in force. Sooner or later, something will go wrong. If there is anything this disaster should have taught us is that, now that something has gone wrong, nobody knows what to do about it. That what these politicians just don’t seem to get.
Until specific and effective plans to prevent accidents and to contain failures of the prevention plans before accidents become catastrophes, offshore drilling must cease. And as always…
Corporations are NOT people! Money is NOT speech!
2 Responses to “Political Scrambling on Gulf Crisis”
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I agree that BP should reimburse the government for their clean up efforts – it should not be the taxpayers responsibility to fund this clean up for something that BP is responsible for. I disagree that all drilling should stop – think of the effect on gas prices in an already depressed economy. Any drilling past 3000 ft should be ceased; the ones over 3000 ft are the ones that MMS requires an exemption for that they clearly rubber stamped. Right now, Atlantis (also a BP rig) is drilling at 7000ft – that rig should be shut down until the proper paperwork, regulations, and safety regulations have been met.
I agree that MMS should be split into 3 parts – but they better get their shit together and do it quickly while cleaning out the Bush staff. These inspections need to be done asap. Obama should oversee this directly, because we are sitting on another potential disaster with Atlantis which will be even harder to control and fix at 7000ft. If the rigs don’t meet the safety requirements, they should be shut down until they do. That might raise gas prices as well, but not with the effect of shutting down all the rigs – after all, that oil doesn’t go just to America, but to the world market. If Amoco weren’t acquired by BP, this would be our oil and not the worlds. That makes a big difference.
Lisa, I did not say that all offshore production should stop, just the drilling rigs. Wells under 3,000 feet can be quickly inspected properly, including their engineering documents, safety plans, and safety equipment. Deep water drilling should be shut down until we know we have the technology to prevent accidents from becoming tragedies. Expansion into new areas should not be allowed at all.