As newly-hired workers race to clean up the Gulf, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has raised concerns that workers hired by BP are not receiving the exact amount of hours of training OSHA recommends. There are a number of training courses, including the “hazardous waste operation and emergency response standard” or HAZWOPER, which OSHA has said is only required for supervisors. But according to The Press-Register, contractors have been giving all who sign up the 40-hour HAZWOPER course. Despite the fact that OSHA’s own guidelines state that workers on …
Angry. That is the first word that comes to mind listening firsthand to how folks on the Gulf Coast feel about the federal government’s response the oil spill disaster. For many, this far worse than Katrina. That hurricane swept through three states in hours, covering thousands of square miles; wiping out roads, communications, and everything else needed to respond to the disaster. It is understandable why it took aid too long to reach too many. The oil spill, on the other hand, has been a disaster in slow motion. Everyday …
Every year, residents of the Gulf come to Morgan City, Louisiana to celebrate the lifeblood of the region’s economy: seafood and oil. This September marks the 75th anniversary of this symbiotic relationship. The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival emphasizes “the unique way in which these two seemingly different industries work hand-in-hand culturally and environmentally in this area of the ‘Cajun Coast’.” One might think the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill would significantly mar this relationship, and the seafood industry would vociferously support President Obama’s offshore drilling moratorium. But the …
The Gulf states thought they finally caught a break last month when a federal judge struck down the Obama administration’s deep-water oil drilling ban, but it turns out they were wrong. With the federal government holding all the cards, a de facto ban on drilling continues, as does the economic harm to the region. Today, a three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on the lower court decision, with the Obama administration seeking to reinstate the ban and oil companies looking to uphold the …
On June 30, The Heritage Foundation released a list of ten actions President Obama could immediately take to make a positive impact on the increasingly overwhelming Gulf oil spill. Since then, there has been some action on two of the items. The skimmer known as “A-Whale” is finally being tested in the Gulf, despite harsh weather. In fact, when weather was at its worst, the A-Whale was the only ship able to remain offshore, which is a promising sign. We hope the tests continue to prove its value and the …
We reported yesterday about the Army Corps of Engineers rejection of a plan by Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish to block oil from entering the Barataria Bay. Outrage has been growing over that decision, buoyed by news that oil has reached nearby Lake Pontchartrain. According to a reports, responders retrieved roughly 1,000 pounds of “tar balls and waste” from the waters. Not only are locals upset by the rejection–a shock after initially offering support for the measure–but there is increasing concern that the government has no alternative plan in place: “One of the things that …
It’s approaching 80 days and each day the oil cleanup falls farther behind. The math is simple: More oil comes out of the Deepwater Horizon well each day than we collect. So after 80 days things are worse rather than better. It’s because those in charge have failed to re-assign priorities and assemble enough resources to skim and intercept the oil before it reaches shore. The feds and BP take turns pointing fingers at each other, but both are at fault for the slow-paced response to the original spill. But …
The final cost of the Gulf spill cleanup hasn’t even been tallied and some experts are already predicting that the economic impact of the President’s politically-motivated drilling moratorium will prove to be more costly. At the end of May, the President announced that he would be extending his temporary moratorium for six months. But at a time when the White House is desperately trying to spin a dismal June job’s report, forcing thousands of Gulf rig workers out of work only increases the strain on an already fragile local and …
Remember 9/11. Remember Katrina. Remember Haiti. Often, after a disaster of epic proportions, we are urged to remember the victims and the lessons of how to avoid a similar catastrophe. These reminders are necessary because after the moment of impact passes, people’s attention is drawn to other major events. Rarely ever, however, is the phrase used while the crisis continues unabated; while the administration that the media needs to hold accountable flounders in a sea of ineptitude, red tape and finger pointing. Yes, we’re talking about the Gulf oil spill. It …
Since President Obama took office, there has been very little wiggle room for Members of Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement. This week the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee granted the President’s push for bipartisanship, ironically by creating a bipartisan oil spill commission that would compete with the Administration’s Obama-appointed one. The Hill reports: Five Democrats joined all 10 Republicans on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in agreeing to create a new bipartisan panel whose members would mostly be appointed by Congress. The proposal—offered by Sen. John …
