Now that BP has announced that it has plugged the oil rig in the gulf -- why should we believe them? -- a lot of attention is now being focused on the use of dispersants. As I shared with you yesterday via an article from The Guardian, many scientist are disputing the rosy picture being painted by BP and the government.
If, as many scientists believe, the dispersants themselves will pose the greatest toxic danger to life in and around the gulf, it begs the question why both BP and the federal government were so quick to employ them in the first place.
From the standpoint of British Petroleum, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why they favored their use. It all boils down to economics! BP must pay a hefty fine for all the oil that has befouled the gulf region. By dispersing the oil (so that it's hard to find in intact sheens), BP hopes to save millions or billions of dollars. With the oil dispersed within layers of the water column, it provides BP with a mechanism to dispute high estimates of released oil because it will be harder for the government to prove that it is there.
While figuring out BP's motivation is easy, many people are having a great deal of difficulty trying to figure out why the government itself bought into this risky deployment of poison. I don't know about you, but in my mind's eye, the reason is just as easy. The Obama administration fell back on an age old, time tested strategy: out of sight, out of mind.
As we all know, election season is just around the corner. The last thing the administration wanted was to have oiled beaches and wildlife capturing the public's imagination on the nightly news. Such depictions would have increased public furor over the whole incident and an angry electorate is not something the party in power wants come election day.
So, despite the dubious science employed, the Obama administration made a calculated decision, one not calculated on what is best for the environment but what is best for the Democratic Party come November! By allowing the oil to be dispersed in a toxic stew in deep water, it will limit the pictorial images of America's worst environmental disaster in history.
Of course, the Democrats are in trouble on a whole range of fronts. This singular issue will not be the tipping point for many races. Still, the current administration wanted to mitigate at least one of the most pressing issues and allowing the widespread use of a toxic dispersant fit the bill.
If, as many scientists believe, the dispersants themselves will pose the greatest toxic danger to life in and around the gulf, it begs the question why both BP and the federal government were so quick to employ them in the first place.
From the standpoint of British Petroleum, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why they favored their use. It all boils down to economics! BP must pay a hefty fine for all the oil that has befouled the gulf region. By dispersing the oil (so that it's hard to find in intact sheens), BP hopes to save millions or billions of dollars. With the oil dispersed within layers of the water column, it provides BP with a mechanism to dispute high estimates of released oil because it will be harder for the government to prove that it is there.
While figuring out BP's motivation is easy, many people are having a great deal of difficulty trying to figure out why the government itself bought into this risky deployment of poison. I don't know about you, but in my mind's eye, the reason is just as easy. The Obama administration fell back on an age old, time tested strategy: out of sight, out of mind.
As we all know, election season is just around the corner. The last thing the administration wanted was to have oiled beaches and wildlife capturing the public's imagination on the nightly news. Such depictions would have increased public furor over the whole incident and an angry electorate is not something the party in power wants come election day.
So, despite the dubious science employed, the Obama administration made a calculated decision, one not calculated on what is best for the environment but what is best for the Democratic Party come November! By allowing the oil to be dispersed in a toxic stew in deep water, it will limit the pictorial images of America's worst environmental disaster in history.
Of course, the Democrats are in trouble on a whole range of fronts. This singular issue will not be the tipping point for many races. Still, the current administration wanted to mitigate at least one of the most pressing issues and allowing the widespread use of a toxic dispersant fit the bill.
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