Are you satisfied with the government’s response to the gulf oil
spill?
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Are you satisfied with the government’s response to the gulf oil spill?” Yes: 3 No: 6
? Karen Anderson: Apparently, not even the government is satisfied. We heard a mea culpa last week.”
? Dave Appling: “No; how could anyone possibly be satisfied? But there are heroes and villains. The Coast Guard has done an exemplary job. The Corps of Engineers’ bureaucratic stiffing of Gov. Jindal’s pleas has been appalling. And why doesn’t the President reverse the last administration’s enfeebling of FEMA?”
? Bert Berson: “There is no clear picture of what anyone’s response has been.”
? Bob Chidester: “No. N.O.A.A. already had a pre-approved plan in place to deal with such a disaster. If this administration had acted quickly, they could be burning up to 90 percent of the oil before it spread. Just another big government screw-up.”
? David Cohen: “In a word yes, primarily because there are limits to what the government has the technical ability to do. This is a hole in the ocean floor one mile beneath the sea. What is disappointing is the mess at the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, which is charged with both regulating offshore drilling and collecting royalties. That is an inherent conflict of interest that must be cleaned up.”
? Julian Mancias: “Yes. This is a BP issue. Where was BP’s contingency plan? Also, the government’s role in overseeing BP’s operations needs to be examined.”
? Linda McNulty: “No, this needs immediate attention and government intervention. Further concerning is the lack of accountability for the proposed ‘top kill’ efforts implemented by BP.”
? Lisa Pampuch: “Yes. What I’m dissatisfied with is the government’s failure to require that drill owners and operators have adequate emergency response plans and preventive measures when permits to drill this risky oil well were issued.”
? Emily Shem-Tov: “It’s a horrible situation and while I think they’ve been very engaged and trying everything they can, I doubt that even the people in charge are satisfied with what they’ve been able to do so far.”
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