Since Spill, Feds Have Given 27 Waivers to Oil Companies in Gulf

[tekisui]

Source: McClatchy

WASHINGTON — Since the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded on April 20, the Obama administration has granted oil and gas companies at least 27 exemptions from doing in-depth environmental studies of oil exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico.

The waivers were granted despite President Barack Obama’s vow that his administration would launch a “relentless response effort” to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the gulf. One of them was dated Friday — the day after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he was temporarily halting offshore drilling

The exemptions, known as “categorical exclusions,” were granted by the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) and included waiving detailed environmental studies for a BP exploration plan to be conducted at a depth of more than 4,000 feet and an Anadarko Petroleum Corp. exploration plan at more 9,000 feet.

“Is there a moratorium on off shore drilling or not?” asked Peter Galvin, conservation director with the Center for Biological Diversity, the environmental group that discovered the administration’s continued approval of the exemptions. “Possibly the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history has occurred and nothing appears to have changed.”

MMS officials said the exemptions are continuing to be issued because they do not represent final drilling approval.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/07/93761/despite-spill-feds-still-giving.html#ixzz0nJSu2CGW

[ProSense]

1. More:

To drill, a company has to file a separate application under a process that is now suspended because of Salazar’s order Thursday.

However, officials could not say whether the exemptions would stand once the moratorium is lifted.

MMS’ approvals are expected to spark new criticism of the troubled agency and the administration’s response to the spill.

Salazar announced Thursday that there’d be no new offshore drilling until the Interior Department completes the safety review process requested by Obama. The department is required to deliver the report to the president by May 28.

[dionysus]

2. man, you just snuffed a good tantrum!

:cry:

;)

[Aramchek]

24. awww, damn it! I was all set to flail around and rend my flesh

[tekisui]

3. No new drilling for a couple weeks, in the meantime waive environmental

studies.

[ProSense]

4. My suspicion

"MMS’ approvals are expected to spark new criticism of the troubled agency and the administration’s response to the spill."

Who wrote this: a Republican?

[tekisui]

5. The response is ongoing.

This is still part of the response. The immediate response was good.

[Enrique]

15. no, republicans generally want to keep drilling

My guess is that republicans will like these approvals. Criticism of the approvals is likely to come from the left, I think.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Ooh! You found "something"!

:bounce:

[ima_sinnic]

9. yes, FC, we "found something"--but nothing new

the usual lax oversight, granting of special favors, corrupt "inspectors" who are wined and dined and totally bribed by those they are "overseeing"--and that is the way this administration operates (case in point: health insurance "reform"). but you knew that already, didn't you?

"bouncy" indeed.

[tekisui]

11. Ooh! You are ignoring something!

Even defending it, if needed, right? Obama is infallible, I know. Bouncy bouncy!

[Lorien]

20. Anyone with open eyes will "find" plenty

there are none so blind as those who WILL NOT SEE.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. Is this not pertinent? Did this part not warrant bold type as well?

"MMS officials said the exemptions are continuing to be issued because they do not represent final drilling approval".

[ima_sinnic]

8. so? give approval without environmental studies? MMS known to be lax:

more from the article:

Environmentalists, however, say that MMS’ checklist for determining whether to grant such exemptions are far too broad and relies on sweeping environmental impact studies that are undertaken before the purchase of leases.

Holly Doremus, a professor of law at Boalt Hall, University of California at Berkeley, said MMS has had a culture of minimizing environmental reviews of oil and gas development dating back to its inception in 1982.

“That’s related to the fact that oil companies have a great deal of power over MMS and there hasn’t been much oversight,” she said. “My guess is that these things are routinely being signed off on as categorical exclusions even though they deserve a closer look.”

.....

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have already called for reform of MMS after news that BP was granted on exemption for the Deepwater Horizon site. That waiver was first reported by the Washington Post.

.....

In 2008, a series of government watchdog reports implicated a dozen current and former employees of the MMS in inappropriate or unethical relationships with industry officials.

The reports described "a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" in the Royalty in Kind program, in which the government forgoes royalties and takes a share of the oil and gas for resale instead. From 2002 to 2006, nearly a third of the RIK staff socialized with and received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies.

I will gamble any amount of money that Big Oil will prevail--MMS will not be "overhauled" or "reformed," and drilling--dangerous drilling and environmentally impactful drilling--will go on as usual after the noise dies down about the killing of the Gulf of Mexico. That's just the way this administration is. What Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Corporations with lots of payola and graft want--they get. Because that's who's in charge.

[depakid]

14. This is what's known as a captured agency" -and the only way to deal with one is from the very top

If not through the executive branch that's responsible for their actions or through Congress, which delegated its authority to act in the first place.

[tekisui]

10. Those final drilling permits will come in two weeks, when

the report is done.

[Enrique]

12. Obama is caving to Sarah Palin's most ridiculous demand

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/10/nation/la-na-gop10-2010apr10

(...)

"We don't need more studies, we need more action," she said, then brought the audience to its feet with a reprise of her own line from 2008: "Let's drill, baby, drill. Not stall, baby, stall."

(....)

[depakid]

13. No matter how one spins it- that the agency has still been granting waivers DOESN'T LOOK GOOD

for the administration.

Not only have some administrators been asleep at the switch while this agency has been running amok- but apparently even now the agency's not getting the message.

[tekisui]

16. That is the point. They don't get it.

This leak was supposed to be a wake up call, but is hardly even slowing it down. Waivers on studies of possible environmental impacts? After the final report comes in two weeks, I am sure we will here how to make the offshore rigs 'safer' and forge ahead with new drilling plans.

[depakid]

18. Among other things, it looks like agency personnel and management is thumbing its nose

at the President or its oil and gas chum boss at Interior, Ken Salazar.

And it's causing the administration embarrassment and potential political damage in the press, with quotes like these that no one wants to hear at a time like this:

The waivers were granted despite President Barack Obama's vow that his administration would launch a "relentless response effort" to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf. One of them was dated Friday - the day after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he was temporarily halting offshore drilling.

...officials couldn't say whether the exemptions would stand once the moratorium is lifted.

The waivers are expected to spark new criticism of the troubled agency and the administration's response to the spill.

Salazar announced Thursday that there would be no new offshore drilling until the Interior Department completes the safety review process requested by Obama. The department is required to deliver the report to the president by May 28.

Given the MMS approvals, however, Galvin said the administration's pledge appears disingenuous.

"It looks to me like they're misleading the public," he said.

More: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/07/1931717/since-spill-agency-has-given-27.html#ixzz0nLJ1Q900

Sounds to me like it's high past time for some heads to roll.

[ima_sinnic]

17. kick to expose the usual corruption and latest sell-out

the unrecs are gigundous on this one

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[amborin]

22. K&R incredible that our Int. Dept exempted BP from EIS in April 2009

the project would have been prohibited


but Salazar is so cozy with Big Oil, and the buck stops with Obama for chooosing him

[polichick]

23. That's right - Salazar is an industry whore...

...like so many of this president's picks. In many ways he's no different than Bush & Co. - just different industry whores, and, in the case of the Dept. of Interior, still a lot of the same ones.

[ima_sinnic]

25. the drilling will continue unabated as soon as this latest oscenity it "fixed" and "forgotten"

nothing like devoting everything to a finite resource that will end up killing the planet.

is it too much to ask that, instead of drilling for oil in fragile waters with no oversight or regulation, we develop wind, solar, and other renewable and clean energy sources?

what the hell are they going to do when all the oil is gone? or is that something future generations will have to worry about, so we don't have to think about it now?

lack of foresight is the hallmark of stupidity. what does that say about this administration?

[tekisui]

26. Kick.