The story below brings home the point made yesterday by frustrated Dutch petroleum engineers on NPR. The Dutch pointed out several major failings in the way the United States responded to the oil spill. The federal government should have immediately taken charge, according to the Dutch, as the government has resources and expertise to respond. Furthermore, by having the government respond immediately (as they do in Europe) eliminates any squabbling from the oil company as to how they are going to get paid for the cleanup.
The Dutch also pointed out the Obama Adminstration's refusal to allow any foreign companies from making a profit has put the Gulf at further risk. A US engineering firm is preparing to build a 30 feet birm to prevent more oil from reaching the shore. As the Dutch point out, it doesn't take much of a storm surge to wipeout a 30 foot birm. The Dutch would have built a 300 foot birm. When it comes to controlling storm surges and floods, you would be hard pressed to find better experts than the Dutch. In fact, the Dutch have for centuries made their home on a very similiar geography to New Orleans. However the myopic Obama Adminstration is more concerned about minimizing political attacks from the right than about getting the best experts to solved the Guld oil spill.
It now appears even the US Coast Guard may have blundered in the initial response. Fine, let's just get the right people involved now!
Coast Guard's failure to follow its firefighting policy may have contributed to sinking of oil rig NOLA.com
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”--Benjamin Franklin
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