Bad Move
by digby
Does this seem like the best way to handle this?
The Obama administration, facing rising anger on the Gulf Coast over the loss of jobs and income from a drilling moratorium, said Monday that it would move quickly to release new safety requirements that would allow the reopening of offshore oil and gas exploration in shallow waters.
Gulf Coast residents, political leaders and industry officials said delays in releasing the new rules, along with the administration's six-month halt on deepwater drilling—both issued amid public pressure—threatened thousands of jobs.
Obviously, jobs are a huge concern, but it's very hard to see how this works. They're actually going to start drilling again in the Gulf before this gusher is capped and the oil is cleaned up? That sounds crazy to me. I know these are good paying jobs and all, but this catastrophe is so huge that everyone needs to start thinking of alternatives because things should not go back to the way they were. The fishing industry can't go back to work because of the oil, so it's hard to see why the oil industry should be so favored when it's the cause of the problem.
Maybe the oil industry could be prevailed upon to provide other jobs for these people? I don't know the answer, but the government is having no problem telling people all over the country that they are just going to have to punt because we can't afford to pay them unemployment benefits. I'm thinking we can't afford to have the Gulf put at more risk right now with the resumption of offshore drilling. Certainly, the president doesn't need to be seen as catering to this industry right now. There must be a better way.
Update: Tristero wrote in to remind me that this plays into a favorite rightwing trope. Evidently the BP gusher is the result of those "greenie extremists" forcing all the drilling far offshore. If we'd let them pollute closer to shore everything would be perfect.Always good to give the right what it demands. Then they'll be satisfied, right?
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