Here a few few excerpts from President Obamas speech last night:
Good evening. As we speak, our nation faces a multitude of challenges. On April 20th, an explosion ripped through BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers lost their lives. Seventeen others were injured. And soon, nearly a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing into the water.
Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. That’s why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation’s best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge -- a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation’s Secretary of Energy.
As a result of these efforts, we’ve directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology. And in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well. This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that’s expected to stop the leak completely.
Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years. We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever’s necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.
The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us through -– what has always seen us through –- is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it.
The fact is that the government only has control over clean up operations. President Obama cannot order BP to do anything that they do not want to do. If BP agrees to set up an escrow account to manage payment to people claiming injury or loss it will tie up crucial money that BP would otherwise use to earn money to help make those same payments.
ReplyDeleteBlah blah blah, lies, lies, lies. Nothing more needs to be said.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a tough situation regardless. And at the end of the day, when Obama is gone, regardless of re-election, and some neocon or another liberal is in office, this disaster will be effecting Americans, and the environment, on the Gulf coast. This might very well be his legacy. And I hope, for the Gulf of Mexico’s sake, it gets cleaned up.
ReplyDeleteThe plan is simple. When they stop the oil from gushing out of the bottom of the gulf, they will clean things up and life can get back to normal. The oill will stop when they finish the relief wells. That probably won't be until the end of the year. In the meantime, the plan is to clean up the oil as it reaches the shoreline. The damage to the environment is done and won't be reversed anytime soon. It will be 100 years before the health of the gulf if completely restored. The bottom line is this: Are we going to continue to allow drilling for oil off our shores or are we going to aggressively move away from fossil fuels and in the process create the new jobs we need to turn around our economy. This is the president's message. If we can get beyond the cable talking head hand wringing, perhaps we can get moving in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke, he sounded weak in his speech and he really didn't say anything except how bad things are. Oh and clean up preparations?? Well the damage is already done!!!! It won't be plugged until a relief well is put in place and who knows how long that will take.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't tell us anything we already didn't know. So what is actually being done to correct the problem??? He really didn't say much of anything. OK so he deployed the national guard fro clean up. First fix the damn problem!!
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to criticize, not so easy to do something. The specifics and our energy policy don't matter right now. That can be debated later. Dealing with the crisis is the problem at hand, for example getting the oil slicks off the ocean, and cleaning up the marshes and the beaches. That is what needs to be worked on right now. Obama addressed that in his speech.
ReplyDeleteWho said that Obama intended to get into specifics last night? The press did, that's what. Obama never said he would go into that kind of detail. Capturing 90 percent of the oil is better than what they are capturing now.
If someone knew how to cap that well today, they would tell BP to do it. They don't. The oil is coming out at so much pressure the engineers don't know how to stop it. It would be done already if they did.
The President spelled out action steps that he is taking. What exactly else are people hoping to hear? How he is going to single-handedly seal off the pipe himself?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this country. He's made more progress in his first year and a half than ole Bushy ever made in 8 years. It's like people expect him to be God.
Don't take your frustration over the gushing oil out on Obama. He didn't create this problem and he's doing everything possible to help those who are being affected by it.
Instead of being a bunch of critics, everyone should take that energy and say what can I do to help out here? Stop being a fault finder. Be a problem solver. If you have ideas pass them along.
Obama, you are still the same person I voted for: a thoughtful clear-headed person who tackles tough problems head-on to find solutions, even when it will hurt him politically.
Stay strong Mr. President. Keep plugging away as you always do. Fight the good fight. There are many of us who totally support you!