Obama Administration's Response to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Obama Administration's Response to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Marred by Missed Opportunities and Misplaced Priorities

JUNE 4, 2010

"In case you were wondering who's responsible, I take responsibility.  It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down."  - President Barack Obama; May 27, 2010

 

At a press conference on May 27, 2010, President Obama insisted that his Administration has been "in charge" since the beginning of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis and accepted full responsibility for the response effort-as he should since the law puts that responsibility at the foot of the president.

During the same press conference, the President spelled out several of the White House's missteps in responding to the ongoing tragedy, despite claiming that Democratic, Republican and independent critics of the Administration's effort "don't know the facts."  In an effort to clear up some of the confusion, the House Republican Conference has compiled a brief timeline of the crisis and outlined some of the Administration's missed opportunities in responding to the crisis.

Oil Spill Response Timeline

  • April 20, 2010: Explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig tragically kills 11 workers.
  • April 24, 2010: First oil leak discovered.
  • April 28, 2010: Interior Secretary Salazar travels to BP Command Center in Houston.
  • April 29, 2010: Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano announces a "Spill of National Significance" and President Obama makes first public remarks on the disaster.
  • April 30, 2010: President deploys senior Administration officials to Gulf region and makes remarks.  Louisiana National Guard activated.
  • May 2, 2010: President visits Gulf.
  • May 4, 2010: Cabinet officials brief Members of Congress.
  • May 11, 2010: Louisiana requests emergency permission to dredge barriers and construct berms from federal government.
  • May 27, 2010: Federal government grants Louisiana partial permission to dredge.
  • May 28, 2010:  President makes his second visit to the Gulf and states, "I am the president and the buck stops with me."
  • May 29, 2010:  BP announces that its "top kill" plan to fill the well had failed.
  • June 2, 2010:  Obama Administration finally approves of Louisiana's plan to dredge and tells BP to pay $360 million for five new berms; and the Justice Department announces a criminal investigation into the explosion and spill.
  • June 3, 2010:  Oil continues to leak in the Gulf of Mexico at 5,000 barrels per day and 101 miles of shoreline has been affected to date.

Missed Opportunities

Blocking Barrier Berms:  On May 11, 2010, the State of Louisiana asked for permission from the federal government to approve the construction of barrier berms, temporary sand islands that block the flow of oil into wetlands and marshes.  Such construction requires approval from the U.S. Corps of Engineers.  Federal bureaucrats took over two weeks before granting only partial approval for Louisiana to dredge barriers.  While President Obama and his Administration reviewed the request, oil began to inundate the Louisiana coast, threatening its fragile ecosystem.  On June 2, the administration finally approved the construction of six sand barrier berms and has requested that BP build five of the berms at an estimated cost of $360 million.  Federal inaction cost valuable time that should have been spent protecting the environment. 

Dispersants:  On May 8, 2010, Louisiana requested that BP and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not use dispersants below the water's surface.  These subsurface dispersants can keep oil slicks from forming, however this leads the oil to linger below the surface, threatening fisheries which supply a third of U.S. seafood and support many livelihoods along the Gulf coast.  On May 13, 2010, the EPA overruled Louisiana and allowed the use of dispersants 4,000 feet below surface.  After the release of 55,000 gallons of dispersant the EPA switched course and ordered the use of a "less-toxic" chemical.  Eventually, EPA did another about-face and continued the use of subsurface dispersants.

Idling Equipment:  According to President Obama, the federal government is marshalling all available resources to respond to the spill.  However, there is evidence to dispute that claim.  The Wall Street Journal has also noted that Louisiana asked the Administration to mobilize all available boats for this purpose, but federal officials didn't act-forcing local officials to commandeer the boats, but some equipment still went unused.

Misplaced Priorities

The following is a partial list of President Obama and top Administration officials' questionable activities during the national crisis:

Political Fundraising:  During the Gulf oil spill crisis, President Obama and some key Administration officials have engaged in partisan political fundraising, demonstrating a less than "all hands on deck" approach to managing the response effort.  As recently as May 26, 2010, more than one month after the oil began gushing into the Gulf, the President was in San Francisco at a $35,000 per couple fundraiser benefitting Senator Boxer (D-CA).  Moreover, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson-Obama's top chief environmental official-was scheduled to attend a June 4, 2010, fundraiser in New York benefitting the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, canceling only after criticism from the media.

Sports:  A few days ago, President Obama as elaborately interviewed by sportscaster Marv Albert in what the White House's official blog describes as "the first ever sit-down interview on the White House basketball court which is a new feature of the Obama Administration."  The president has also kept up his golf game.  As beaches in Louisiana were closed on May 21, 2010, as oil washed up, the president took to the golf course at Andrews Air Force base.  According to The Hill newspaper, "Golf is a frequent weekend pastime for Obama.  The president headed to the course almost immediately after disembarking from Air Force One" on that occasion.                                     

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Republicans believe that the oil spill is an ongoing tragedy for the Gulf Coast region, its economy, the environment, and the families of those who lost their lives.  The U.S. must do everything possible to completely stop the oil leaking into the Gulf as soon as possible and preserve the livelihoods of those in the area and clean-up the Gulf Coast region-the full and undivided attention of the Obama Administration is absolutely necessary.

Congress and independent bodies must also fully investigate the cause of the accident.  Those responsible must be held accountable and the lessons learned from this accident should be included as part of strict safety standards for offshore exploration moving forward.  Finally, as the price of gas remains near $3 a gallon in parts of the country, House Republicans recognize that now is not the time to increase our dependence on foreign oil by making a hasty retreat from existing and future offshore exploration.