Goal For The Green

Yes, it has been about 30 days since the Deep Water Horizon Well, has been permanently capped.  Yes, it has been at least two or more weeks, since the five story, 150 ton blow-out preventor has been raised, to help determine the cause of the worst environmental disaster in American history. Yes, hearings have begun, but have you noticed, WE  AREN’T HEARING, much of the goings on?  The focus is NOW, on the mid-term elections.  I don’t know about YOU, but I think many people impacted by the BP spill, as well as the millions of unemployed workers in this county, are wondering WHO CAN WE TRUST?

Just last week, a report was released by the national commission investigating the oil spill.  Seems,The White House blocked government scientists, from warning the American public, of the potential environmental disaster, caused by BP’s broken well in the Gulf of Mexico.

The report was produced, by a panel appointed by  President Barack Obama ,to investigate the spill.  About two weeks after the BP rig exploded, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), asked the White House, for permission to release their models, showing their worst case scenarios, regarding the spill.

The White House office of management and budget, which is a traditional clearing house for decisions, TURNED DOWN that request.

The report, one of four released,last week, by the commission, provides compelling evidence,by the White House to spin, the BP oil spill disaster.

The White House, even  disputed the commission’s findings. “Senior government officials were clear with the public, what the worst-case flow rate could be,” the acting director of the OMB, Jeffrey Zients and the NOAA adminstrator, Jane Lubchenco, said in a statement.

The commission report does not explore why the White House sought to block the worst-case scenarios for the spill. But, remember, BP and the government, were working together, and even orchestrating what the media reported, and what they didn’t.

The report amplifies scathing criticism,  of the Obama administration’s handling( and or slow response to the handling) of the disaster.

The report also catalogs, other lapses by the administration, including repeated underestimates of the size of the spill, and downplaying the environmental damage, after the BP well was capped.  Remember, when they were so quick to say the oil was GONE, and how dispersants, just made it disappear?

When the government initially underestimated the amount of oil flow into the Gulf, and then, at the end of the summer, appeared to underestimate the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf, they created the impression that they, were either not fully competent to handle the spill, or not fully CANDID with the American people, about the scope of the problem.  It seemed like, they were just hoping it would all go away, and take care of itself.  Still, not the case.

The documents (report) for the first time, has put the White House at the center, of the long running dispute between the administration, and independent scientists, about how much oil was discharged into the Gulf, and how much remains in the water.  They say (BP), they will be there, however long it takes, to MAKE IT RIGHT!  Well, that should be a lot longer, than they are making it appear!

Remember, at first, BP claimed (estimated) the well was leaking 1,000 barrels a day. By early May, the administration had revised its estimate upwards to 5,000 barrels a day. That figure was based, on the work of a single NOAA scientist using, “overly casual” analysis of satellite images of oil, on the surface of the ocean.

The Obama administration, clung to that estimate.  It turned out to be 12 times LOWER, than the actual spill size – despite known inaccuracies in the scientists’ work, the report stated.

Still, the Coast Guard and other federal emergency-response officials told the commission they WOULDN’T, have acted differently if they had known the spill rate, was much greater than BP’s initial 1,000 barrel a day estimate. Interestingly, the spill commission investigators wrote that “for the first ten days of the spill, it appeared that a sense of over optimism affected responders.”  It seemed like there was NO response to the CRISIS!

The commission staff said, it is “possible that inaccurate flow-rate figures, may have hindered, the sub-sea efforts to stop and to contain the flow of oil, at the wellhead.”

The government later revised the estimate of the oil flow to between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels a day.

Last Wednesday, in a written joint statement, the White House’s acting budget director, Jeffrey Zients, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco said, “the federal government response was full force and immediate, and the response, focused on state and local plans and evolved when needed.”  I think, that depends on who you talk to, that lives there, works there, or is a victim.

The statement, also disputes the spill commission staff’s findings, that administration officials took too long to grasp the gravity of the spill.  The statement didn’t directly address the question, of what the administration believed the spill rate to be, during the period between April 20 and April 28th.  However, on the 28th, NOAA released, an estimate that the spill rate was 5,000 barrels a day.  Did they think we were all BLIND!

Then, senior administration officials said in early May, that according to the White House, the worst case, could be oil flowing at a rate of 100,000 barrels a day.

As the spill drug on into late May, the spill commission staff wrote, the administration appears to have misdirected resources, in its efforts to counter the public view, that its response was inadequate. By May 27, polls showed that 60% of respondents, thought the government was doing a poor job, of responding to the spill.

In response, President Barack Obama, said he would triple the federal manpower, to respond to the spill. But, Coast Guard personnel told the commission in interviews, that they had enough equipment, by the end of May.

The commission staff wrote that,”Tripling, or at least the arguable overreaction, to the public perception of a slow response, resulted in resources being thrown at the spill, in general, rather than being targeted in an efficient way.”  As a result,political concerns drove, what the commission staff calls “Boom Wars,” as local governments, in the Gulf region jockeyed to secure from federal officials, and more of the oil-containing boom, that “became a symbol of how responsive the government, was to local communities.”

The commission staff, also questions whether BP’s company interests, could have conflicted with national interests. Yup, you bet they did!  BP took control of ship traffic, above the well. For example, government scientists who were trying to determine the rate of the spill flow.  They grew frustrated, with BP’s ability to control, access to the well.

“Given that its potential liability, under the Clean Water Act, depended directly on the flow rate, BP had real incentives, to maintain exclusive control over the ability to estimate that rate,” the commission investigators wrote.

The commission staff, also takes the administration to task, for characterizing a federal report on the fate of oil, as having been subjected to “peer review,” by independent scientists. It is unclear, at this time, whether any independent scientists, actually reviewed the paper, prior to its release in August.

The federal report issued in August, said that about three-quarters of the oil spilled by the well, had broken down or been cleaned up. Those estimates have been challenged,and thought to be overly rosy, by some independent scientists. The commission staff paper says, the August report “was simply not designed to explain, or capable of explaining” the oil’s fate.  Sure, looks like OIL, is here to stay, and not even looking toward other resources, to ease our dependence on Foreign OIL.

As of today, it is now OK, to resume deep water drilling.  Did we not learn anything from this disaster?  When is ENOUGH, ENOUGH?  So much for CHANGE!  And, who should we vote for?  I don’t see anything bright or Green, to vote for, do you?!

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