Murf76
Senior Member
- Nov 11, 2008
- 2,464
- 593
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Hell, even Kirsten Powers isn't buying into the usual finger-pointing routine...
The administration's chief response so far was to send out Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to do his best impersonation of a totalitarian thug, proclaiming that the government would "have its boot on the throat of BP."
(Fun fact: While in the Senate, Salazar backed an increase in oil and gas leases in the Gulf Coast region by promoting and voting for the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.)
Since the "blame BP" strategy isn't working, Obama will today announce tougher safety requirements and more rigorous inspections for offshore drilling operations. Sounds nice -- except the problem isn't a lack of safety requirements, it's that the experts at the US Minerals Management Service ignored the existing requirements.
In fact, it was under Salazar's reign that the MMS approved BP's drilling without getting the permits required by law for drilling that might harm endangered species. The agency routinely overruled warnings regarding the safety and environmental impact of drilling proposals in the Gulf.
Read more: Where Was Obama's Plan A on the Oil Spill?--Kirsten Powers - NYPOST.com