This is an environmental disaster unlike anything that the US (or anyone, really) has faced before, and it has shined a light on some major deficiencies in our government, both in oversight and response capability.
BP has taken the lead so far, because they are the ones with the technology and the people to do work at the ocean floor, a mile deep. Some of the talking heads wonder why the government doesn't have all this brainpower and technology at its disposal, so they could deal with the situation without BP. These morons clearly don't remember the last couple decades, as we've struggled with budget deficits, and trying to balance the spending we already have while cutting taxes and keeping Social Security and other such things.
There is one thing that the government could have done, day one, to stop the spill. In fact, it is a technique that the Russians have used on more than one occasion to stop a spill. What did they do? They nuked it.
Of course, detonating a nuke in the Gulf of Mexico is not what anyone wants to do. Which means that, like it or not, the government needs BP to end this spill.
In the days and weeks to come, there will be time to debate the future of offshore drilling, and how to move forward from here in terms of environmental concerns, renewable energy, and the relationship between oil companies and the agency that oversees them. For now, all we can do is sit down, shut up, and hope BP gets it right, sooner rather than later.
No comments:
Post a Comment