Posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Washington, DC
One month ago this week, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded off Louisiana’s coast, killing 11 people and rupturing an underwater pipe. The resulting oil spill has not only dealt an economic blow to Americans across the Gulf Coast, it also represents an environmental disaster. In response, we are drawing on America’s best minds and using the world’s best technology to stop the leak. We’ve deployed over 1,100 vessels, about 24,000 personnel, and more than 2 million total feet of boom to help contain it. And we’re doing all we can to assist struggling fishermen, and the small businesses and communities that depend on them. Folks on the Gulf Coast – and across America – are rightly demanding swift action to clean up BP’s mess and end this ordeal. But they’re also demanding to know how this happened in the first place, and how we can make sure it never happens again. That’s what I’d like to spend a few minutes talking with you about.
First and foremost, what led to this disaster was a breakdown of responsibility on the part of BP and perhaps others, including Transocean and Halliburton. And we will continue to hold the relevant companies accountable not only for being forthcoming and transparent about the facts surrounding the leak, but for shutting it down, repairing the damage it does, and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss. But even as we continue to hold BP accountable, we also need to hold Washington accountable. Now, this catastrophe is unprecedented in its nature, and it presents a host of new challenges we are working to address. But the question is what lessons we can learn from this disaster to make sure it never happens again. [What I'm not telling you: Yes, the 'Deepwater Horizon' drilling rig exploded. Yes, eleven souls were lost in the disaster. Yes, to some this should be my "Hurricane Katrina." I WILL NOT allow it to become so!! I intend to treat this as I do any other negative incident to my plans, my ideologies, my ego--I shall ignore it until it goes away!! Why do you think it took me eleven days to acknowledge the disaster had even happened?? Hell, "The Chin" and I even spent a wasted day cavorting around Asheville, North Carolina--THAT'S how important this is and was, at least to me. Actually all those eleven days had a purpose: It takes time to determine all those with enough culpability to blame the whole mess on; to emplace enough who can AND WILL deflect any political 'spatter' away from me!! Particular administrations aside, the residents of the Gulf coast are rightly skeptical about the speed and dependability of the government's efforts in the containment and clean-up areas. {I still wonder why those involved in the Nashvill, Tn., floods weren't on rooftops, screaming for federal give-aways, like the residents of New Orleans!!}
Although I never intend to assume them, by extension I'm responsible for ALL DECISIONS made in and by, my administration. Part of the reason for my acknowledgement delay is hoping that no one would connect BP's campaign donation of $3,500,000 with their exemption from a detailed environmental impact analysis. 'Someone' concluded--after three half-assed reviews--that a massive oil spill was unlikely. On April 6, 2009, the Minerals Management Service gave BP's Deepwater Horizon a categorical exclusion from the 'National Environmental Policy Act. In addition: We've been trying to 'slam' Halliburton since they were primary contractors in Iraq and Afganistan. I think we gott'em this time!! Plenty of time to manufacture evidence and steer inquiries toward their guilt!!]
If the laws on our books are inadequate to prevent such an oil spill, or if we didn’t enforce those laws – I want to know it. I want to know what worked and what didn’t work in our response to the disaster, and where oversight of the oil and gas industry broke down. We know, for example, that a cozy relationship between oil and gas companies and agencies that regulate them has long been a source of concern. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has taken steps to address this problem; steps that build on reforms he has been implementing since he took office. But we need to do a lot more to protect the health and safety of our people; to safeguard the quality of our air and water; and to preserve the natural beauty and bounty of America. In recent weeks, we’ve taken a number of immediate measures to prevent another spill. We’ve ordered inspections of all deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. We’ve announced that no permits for drilling new wells will go forward until the 30-day safety and environmental review I requested is complete. And I’ve called on Congress to pass a bill that would provide critical funds and tools to respond to this spill and better prepare us to confront any future spills. But we also need to take a comprehensive look at how the oil and gas industry operates and how we regulate them. That is why, on Friday, I signed an executive order establishing the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. While there are a number of ongoing investigations, including an independent review by the National Academy of Engineering, the purpose of this Commission is to consider both the root causes of the disaster and offer options on what safety and environmental precautions we need to take to prevent a similar disaster from happening again. This Commission, I’d note, is similar to one proposed by Congresswoman Capps and Senator Whitehouse. [What I'm not telling you: We have far more laws 'on-the-books' than ANY government ANYWHERE should need; most of them being more for control of nearly every aspect of the individual American's way of life, rather than for the American's benefit. No matter how we try, the federal government has yet to find a way to legislate human behavior, morality or work ethic! This was an accident, plain and simple! Yet, we fully intend to hang the responsibility on the ENTIRETY OF "BIG OIL;" barring that, somehow on President Bush. Working against my supposition, BP immediately stepped up to the plate, accepted full responsibility for the human error and is standing behind the entire cleanup expense!! Eventually, my--and my administration's--culpability will come to light unless I can get it quashed by the fascist media. As I mentioned before, if the culpability comes to the fore, I shall combat it by ignoring it!! Aren't I the cleaver one...?!?! Demanding that the Congress lay the expense of any future spills, accidents directly at your feet--the American Taxpayer!! It would make far more sense for 'big oil' to put 'XX' cents/dollars per barrel extracted into a reserve cleanup fund--but where's the 'wealth redistribution' in that?? Just what we need.... MORE EGGHEADS studying something they know little about. With any luck, we can continue this commission into a mature, permanent agency--thus more government expansion by more government EGGHEADs!!]
I’ve asked Democrat Bob Graham and Republican Bill Reilly to co-chair this Commission. Bob served two terms as Florida’s governor, and represented Florida as a United States Senator for almost two decades. During that time, he earned a reputation as a champion of the environment, leading the most extensive environmental protection effort in the state’s history. Bill Reilly is chairman emeritus of the board of the World Wildlife Fund, and he is also deeply knowledgeable about the oil and gas industry. During the presidency of George H.W. Bush, Bill was Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and his tenure encompassed the Exxon Valdez disaster. I can’t think of two people who will bring greater experience or better judgment to the task at hand. In the days to come, I’ll appoint 5 other distinguished Americans – including scientists, engineers, and environmental advocates – to join them on the Commission. And I’m directing them to report back in 6 months with recommendations on how we can prevent – and mitigate the impact of – any future spills that result from offshore drilling. [What I'm not telling you: We {read: 'I'} need some republicRATs on this silly commission; we've gotta have someone to blame any errors or delays on!! 'Greater experience' does not mean 'better experience.' Notice there's no mention of ANYONE from BIG OIL on the commission; who would have greater knowledge and experience with the effects of oil, both positive and negative?? Most of 'my' voters are too young to remember the "Exxon Valdez" DISASTER. That was truely a disaster that I hope is never dredged up; the spillage may end up being less, but the economic and environmental expense was exponentially greater than "Deepwater Horizon" will ever be!! The 'Valdez' HEAVY crude created a far greater cleanup expense. The 'Deepwater' LIGHT, SWEET crude will cause damage not nearly the magnitude of the 'Valdez!' Light crude has been leaking from the ocean floors for eons; nature cleans that up-primarily through evaporation.]
One of the reasons I ran for President was to put America on the path to energy independence, and I have not wavered from that commitment. To achieve that goal, we must pursue clean energy and energy efficiency, and we’ve taken significant steps to do so. And we must also pursue domestic sources of oil and gas. Because it represents 30 percent of our oil production, the Gulf of Mexico can play an important part in securing our energy future. But we can only pursue offshore oil drilling if we have assurances that a disaster like the BP oil spill will not happen again. This Commission will, I hope, help provide those assurances so we can continue to seek a secure energy future for the United States of America. [What I'm not telling you: Energy independence is so far down on the list as to be of negligible value. If I placed any value on the oil demand, would I have continued the 125 mile no-drilling zone on the American coastline--while China, Russia, Cuba {in partnership with both China and Russia}, Venezuala and Mexico all drill within that limit, in the waters between Cuba and Key West, Florida?? Would I have cancelled potentially profitable, productive leases in Wyoming and Alaska?? Would I have moved solar panel production to the federal prisons, thus taking jobs out of the workforce?? As you can tell by now, all those promises I made during the "Campaign of Fluff" are just that..... FLUFF!!]
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