Obama administration blocked efforts to stop BP oil drilling before explosion

[yunghustlaz]

In 2009, the Obama administration intervened to support the reversal of a court order that would have halted offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama’s Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who has long had close ties to the industry, specifically cited BP’s Deepwater Horizon operation as one that should be allowed to go forward, according to a

Comments

[gmth]

This study has yet to be completed.

Has it been started? These things usually take quite a bit of time, and if the order came through in July of last year the problem may be that it's just not finished yet.

[awfulbliss]

It would make the condition completely worthless that a study doesn't necessarily have to be completed, but rather just started, before drilling begins or resumes. I mean maybe this is a poor analogy, but it's like putting a bad car out on the road, finding out it has all kinds of flaws and saying, "well, we'll do the study but we should still be able to sell them in the meantime."

[gmth]

...it's like putting a bad car out on the road, finding out it has all kinds of flaws and saying, "well, we'll do the study but we should still be able to sell them in the meantime."

Isn't that pretty much what the court ruling did, though? I agree, I think the ability to drill should have been contingent on completing the study, but the court did say the drilling could continue while the study was going on. I'm not sure how that's the Obama administration's fault.

The bigger problem, IMO, is this: "...the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Services (MMS) has continued to grant 'categorical exclusions' to oil and gas companies, allowing them to bypass environmental studies." Letting them off the hook with no studies at all is problematic. Starting a study and not having had a chance to finish it before a major accident is also problematic but feels like a different kettle of fish to me.

[awfulbliss]

I don't know, is there a link to the court order? It seems completely asburd to me that a study to look at potential risks doesn't have to be completed before the drilling takes place.

Either way, it's highly troubling that on matters of energy, the Obama Administration is agreeing with the API, a group that is made up entirely of complete slimeballs who have thwarted every single attempt -- no matter how small -- to change energy policy in this country.

[leviicorpus]

>:|

[perfectisafault]

I don't mind the Fourth International. It's just the Stalinists and the Maoists that are scary as fuck lolololol

Yeah. This isn't cool. At all :(

[yunghustlaz]

Idek any Stalinists that are still around but loll at Maoists. I miss MIM. :(

[redstar826]

Frustrating, but not surprising. I'm sure there are thousands of environmental and workplace safety policies which are on the books but are ignored until something tragic happens (see also mining companies which rack up a zillion and one safety violations, but are still allowed to continue to remain open)

[haruhiko]

Lol, nice to see the usual apologists showing up.

[yunghustlaz]

Haha omg I had work to do earlier and I was so frustrated I couldn't reply more, thank god you finally showed up bb.

[haruhiko]

Lmao hai pookie I'm sorry I wasn't ~there for you~ earlier. ;D Been busy as hell since Thursday due to it being Mother's Day weekend.

[yunghustlaz]

It's okay you came in with some strong stuff after the fact, YOU'VE DONE ME PROUD. There's always later.