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While the arguments that these governors make are logical and sound from a purely economic point of view, they are at odds from the perspective of the ecological point of view. How many other spills and tanker accidents will occur that will add to the existing environmental damage that has already crippled the Gulf region? Are these governors willing to sacrifice permanent and irreversible environmental damage to the precious wetlands, plant and animal habitats, and the pristine beaches that attract the millions of visitors each year? How will these governors find the resources to compensate the fishermen, entrepreneurs, and businessmen who depend on a healthy Gulf region for their livelihood? All of these questions are now being debated in Washington and in the Gulf States. The reality is that no one knows the answer to these puzzling questions. For too long, the federal and state governments have given the energy industry carte blanche access to land and water resources accompanied by generous taxpayer's subsidies in the from of tax write-offs. Elected officials from the White House to the county seat and city hall have become financial pawns of the hundreds of lobbyists that represent the energy industry. Regulation of the energy industry has always been lax; however, it became all but non-existent in the Bush administration when Vice President Cheney held that infamous top-level secret meeting with the oil and energy moguls where, allegedly, a hands-off policy was promised. The transcript of that secret meeting has never been released to the public and thus we cannot document the exact promises that were made to the energy industry. However, it is clear that the Bush administration, subsequent to that meeting, proceeded to relax regulations and had its hands off policy replicated in the congress and in the federal and state courts and this classical laissez-faire policy and attitude was inherited by President Obama and his administration. As a result, when Obama arrived to the White House, he was saddled with an economic meltdown, what the New York Times says was "a hodgepodge of oversight agencies [that] granted exceptions to rules, allowed risks to accumulate and made a disaster more likely ... ", and a Minerals Management Service (MMS) that had the duel responsibility of policing offshore drilling and collecting fines for violations. It is clear that inspections by the MMS were lax. The lax oversight and apparently cozy relationship that BP and the other oil and energy industry giants enjoyed with the federal government gave them an unearned and unethical advantage that became a distinct and horrific disadvantage to the American public. WHAT IS OBAMA TO DO?Since Mr. Obama was delayed in his response to this disaster and perceived by the people of the Gulf region as unsympathetic to their plight, he must immediately take the full responsibility of cleaning up the mess. He can do this by appointing an envoy that is totally under his command; that will take command of National Guard units, the U.S. Army and the relevant federal agencies that should be employed in the clean up effort. General Colin Powell or General Russel Honore would make perfect candidates for this assignment.To address some of the problems of resulting unemployment caused by the oil spill, Pres. Obama should immediately issue an executive order that would forbid Halliburton, Transocean or any of the oil industry related companies from being contracted to participate in the clean up operation. Instead, he should mandate that only local residents be hired at a prevailing rate. These policies would forestall a repeat of the aftermath of Katrina when the Bush administration contracted Halliburton to do the clean up and they hired non-residents of New Orleans, which further aggravated the local unemployment situation and added to the political unrest in the city. President Obama must completely reorganize the federal government's oversight of the energy industry's extraction procedures including coal mining and gas exploration. Additionally, Pres. Obama must:Assemble an emergency response team made up of university experts, corporate experts, and government experts that are independent of the oil and energy industry that can address these kinds of disasters in a timely manner.Seize this moment and push through legislation that will put this nation on the road to alternative natural clean energy and less reliance on coal and oil. Further, he should lessen the call for nuclear plant building in view of the fact that we have not yet devised a safe manner of disposing nuclear waste and/or protecting the public from nuclear accidents. Embark upon a national program of ocean exploration. We know more about outer space than we do about the oceans and how to protect them. In this regard, Pres. Obama must designate at least two Historically Black Colleges and Universities as recipients of federal funds to develop oceanographic institutes so that we can be assured to have a cadre of Black oceanographic professionals in the near future. Specifically, we do not want to repeat the sad history of the start up of the space program where Blacks were intentionally excluded from the training programs. Lastly, Pres. Obama must build in some affirmative action measures in all contracts awarded for the clean up. Black residents cannot be locked out of the employment in the clean up process. If Mr. Obama proceeds to take full and firm control of the clean up process, put in place legislation and administrative rules and regulations that will provide competent oversight of the oil and energy industry, move this nation towards clean energy and away from fossil fuels, address the unemployment issues in the Gulf region, begin the exploration of the ocean as a matter of national priority, and guarantee Black participation at every level, he will emerge as a hero and assure Democratic victories in November. starksandassoc@sbcglobal.net  (STARKSANDASSOC@sbcglobal.net) |
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