Garret Graves, Louisiana's rep. in the U.S. House said it is in a Times Picyune article a few weeks ago. So has other elected officials and representatives of the oil industry. They say new safety regulations by the industry itself and new federal regulations put into effect after the spill are the reasons.
This writer has his doubts because no one has said any thing about the industry's ability to plug a blow out TIMELY and remove any spilled oil from the waters of the Gulf before that oil hits shore or any land area. That was the real story of the BP blow out and spill that only "PolitiDose" spoke about at the time in several commentaries.
Prior to the BP blow out, the industry always said they had the personnel and the equipment available if necessary to cap a blow out TIMELY and stop the flow of oil before it reached shore. The BP blow out proved they did not and oil flowed into the Gulf waters and on shore areas for over 2 months before the well was capped. That was not TIMELY and the industry had no such equipment available.
One also has to remember that the judge who presided over the case found BP put profit ahead of safety. It could very well happen again with another operator. Time will tell if the industry has changed and is ready if another blow out occurs of the same magnitude. Only then will we know if the industry has taken care of the "Real Story."
Having worked in the industry for 34 years, this writer remains skepital. After all, drilling has been going on offshore in the Gulf of Mexico for over 40 years. How long does it take to be prepared?
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
