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Gulf of Mexico oil spill (view source)

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[[File:Dispersants spraying.jpg|right|300px|thumb|President Obama directed the [[United States Coast Guard]] to dump [[toxic]] disperants into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] despite known health hazards to humans and wildlife. [http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/] ]]The '''Gulf of Mexico oil spill''' began on 20 April 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling rig operated by [[BP]] (known as British Petroleum until 2000) exploded and sank.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/gulf-of-mexico-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-2010-4 Here's The Questions You Should Be Asking About The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill]</ref> Oil began leaking at a rate eventually estimated at 2.5 million gallons per day, resulting in massive environmental degradation.<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSaoIddZwUtk-BTcIDuy6AjaHwSgD9GBV0GO0 Scientists: Oil leaking up to 2.52M gallons daily]</ref> The federal government reported that 206 million gallons of crude oil leaked before the spill was stopped on July 15.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38557520/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf Disaster in the Gulf]</ref> The blowout killed eleven workers. Despite the known [[toxic]]ity of the dispersant Corexit, the [[Obama administration]] dumped millions of gallons of the hazardous chemical into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] with C-130 aircraft provided by the [[U.S. Coast Guard]]<ref>http://vodpod.com/watch/3962219-confirmed-corexit-being-sprayed-from-coast-guard-planes</ref>and the [[Air Force]].<ref>http://bpoilslick.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-air-force-sprays-corexit-from-plane.html</ref>

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[[File:Dispersants spraying.jpg|right|300px|thumb|President Obama directed the [[United States Coast Guard]] to dump [[toxic]] disperants into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] despite known health hazards to humans and wildlife. [http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/] ]]The '''Gulf of Mexico oil spill''' began on 20 April 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling rig operated by [[BP]] (known as British Petroleum until 2000) exploded and sank.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/gulf-of-mexico-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-2010-4 Here's The Questions You Should Be Asking About The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill]</ref> Oil began leaking at a rate eventually estimated at 2.5 million gallons per day, resulting in massive environmental degradation.<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSaoIddZwUtk-BTcIDuy6AjaHwSgD9GBV0GO0 Scientists: Oil leaking up to 2.52M gallons daily]</ref> The federal government reported that 206 million gallons of crude oil leaked before the spill was stopped on July 15.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38557520/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf Disaster in the Gulf]</ref> The blowout killed eleven workers. Despite the known [[toxic]]ity of the dispersant Corexit, the [[Obama administration]] dumped millions of gallons of the hazardous chemical into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] with C-130 aircraft provided by the [[U.S. Coast Guard]]<ref>http://vodpod.com/watch/3962219-confirmed-corexit-being-sprayed-from-coast-guard-planes</ref> and the [[Air Force]].<ref>http://bpoilslick.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-air-force-sprays-corexit-from-plane.html</ref>

On 31 March 2010 [[President Obama]] announced a plan for exploitation of offshore oil reserves during a speech at Andrews Air Force Base outside [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/user/AssociatedPress#p/u/6/mA7RAfHN-wo Obama Lifts Ban on Offshore Drilling,] ''[[Associated Press]],'' 31 March 2010. Retrieved from [[Youtube]] 9 May 2010.</ref> The President's actions have been labeled, "a decision to endanger our coastal [[ecosystem]]s with the risk of catastrophic oil spills."<ref>[http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2010/04/30/president_obama_committed_to_endangering President Obama must reinstate moratorium on offshore drilling,] [[Greenpeace]] USA blogs, 30 Apr 2010.</ref> Defending the decision, the President remarked,

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=== Nalco and Corexit ===

[[File:Dermatitis4.jpg|right|375px|thumb|Dermatitis is one immediate health concern<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/28/bp-gulf-oil-spill-pollution Gulf oil spill is public health risk, environmental scientists warn,] Suzanne Goldenberg, ''[[Guardian (uk)]]'', 28 May 2010.</ref> of the [[Obama administration]]'s decision to use [[toxic]] substances to disperse the visibility of the spill.

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[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CB4QFjAD&url=http://www.chemie.uni-regensburg.de/Physikalische_Chemie/Kunz/student/Uebung_Formulierung/Clark_presentation.pdf&rct=j&q=photo+dermatitis+corexit&ei=qn0ITPGEM-qXlAfeo8TSAQ&usg=AFQjCNHp_FTjbxFEzZI4o9iMcapG_kFO3Q&sig2=zxmIoVnIi2vekrq3WB6ztA]Residents, cleanup workers, and tourists alike may be affected. [http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=31005&news_channel_id=145&channel_id=145] ]]

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[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CB4QFjAD&url=http://www.chemie.uni-regensburg.de/Physikalische_Chemie/Kunz/student/Uebung_Formulierung/Clark_presentation.pdf&rct=j&q=photo+dermatitis+corexit&ei=qn0ITPGEM-qXlAfeo8TSAQ&usg=AFQjCNHp_FTjbxFEzZI4o9iMcapG_kFO3Q&sig2=zxmIoVnIi2vekrq3WB6ztA] Residents, cleanup workers, and tourists alike may be affected. [http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=31005&news_channel_id=145&channel_id=145] ]]

Nalco of Naperville, Illinois formed a joint venture with Exxon Chemical in 1994 and the company's current leadership includes several executives from BP. Nalco reported it sold in excess of $40 million to BP of its dispersant, Corexit, shortly after the [[Gulf of Mexico]] oil spill disaster.

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Paul Quinlan, ''Greenwire'', May 13, 2010. Retrieved from nytimes.com 25 May 2010.</ref> Two of the 12 were found to be 100 percent effective on [[Gulf of Mexico]] crude, whereas two Corexit products rated only 56 percent and 63 percent effective.<ref>Ibid.</ref> The [[toxic]]ity of the other 12 was shown to be in some cases 10 or 20 times less than Corexit, according to the EPA.<ref>Ibid.</ref> "It's a chemical that the oil industry makes to sell to itself, basically," said Richard Charter, a senior policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife.<ref>Ibid.</ref>

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Corexit was found to be one of the most toxic dispersal agents ever developed.<ref>''Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview'', Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark. Report prepared for Exxon Biomedical Sciences.</ref> With seasonal warming of water temperature the toxicity grows. Corexit is banned in the [[United Kingdom]] due to [[environment]]al concerns.<ref>[http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/05/epa-bp-dispersants Why Is the EPA Letting BP Use Dirty Dispersants?], Kate Sheppard, ''Mother Jones'', 19 May 19 2010.</ref> The Obama EPA gave BP the green light to apply Corexit to the spill.<ref>Ibid.</ref> At the Congressional hearing investigating the Gulf oil spill disaster, [[Democratic]] Representative Jerrold Nadler of [[New York]] raised the prospect of "thousands and thousands of people getting sick or dying" as a result of the administration's sanctioned use of the dispersant.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/science/earth/28workers.html Worry About Dispersant Rises as Men in Work Crew Complain of Health Problems,] Leslie Kaufman and Elizabeth Rosenthal, ''New York Times'', 27 May 2010.</ref> Critics allege use of dispersants like Corexit are largely for cosmetic purposes. Nalco has been a frequent contributor to the campaign of Sen. [[Mary Landrieu]]<ref>http://saveourwetlands.org/index-landrieu.html/</ref> of Louisiana.<ref>http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/fec/?id=273&cycle=2007-2008</ref>

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Corexit was found to be one of the most toxic dispersal agents ever developed.<ref>''Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview'', Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark. Report prepared for Exxon Biomedical Sciences.</ref> With seasonal warming of water temperature the toxicity grows. Corexit is banned in the [[United Kingdom]] due to [[environment]]al concerns.<ref>[http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/05/epa-bp-dispersants Why Is the EPA Letting BP Use Dirty Dispersants?], Kate Sheppard, ''Mother Jones'', 19 May 19, 2010.</ref> The Obama EPA gave BP the green light to apply Corexit to the spill.<ref>Ibid.</ref> At the Congressional hearing investigating the Gulf oil spill disaster, [[Democratic]] Representative Jerrold Nadler of [[New York]] raised the prospect of "thousands and thousands of people getting sick or dying" as a result of the administration's sanctioned use of the dispersant.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/science/earth/28workers.html Worry About Dispersant Rises as Men in Work Crew Complain of Health Problems,] Leslie Kaufman and Elizabeth Rosenthal, ''New York Times'', 27 May 2010.</ref> Critics allege use of dispersants like Corexit are largely for cosmetic purposes. Nalco has been a frequent contributor to the campaign of Sen. [[Mary Landrieu]]<ref>http://saveourwetlands.org/index-landrieu.html/</ref> of Louisiana.<ref>http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/fec/?id=273&cycle=2007-2008</ref>

== Deepwater Horizon ==

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On [[Earth Day]] 2010, a BP-leased oil drilling rig sank to the bottom of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] two days after it exploded, creating what has been described as the "worst environmental disaster in [[American History Lectures|US history]]."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref> [[Secretary of the Interior]] [[Ken Salazar]] told [[CNN]] "It potentially is catastrophic," and "I think we have to prepare for the worst."<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/gulf-oil-spill:-impossible-to-measure-impact-of-%22unprecedented-environmental-disaster%22-477603.html?tickers=BP,HAL,CAM,RIG,XLE,OIL,USO Gulf Oil Spill: Impossible to Measure Impact of "Unprecedented Environmental Disaster",] Aaron Task, May 03, 2010. Retrieved from Yahoo Finance 12 May 2010.</ref><ref>[http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/02/salazar-oil-spill-massive-and-a-potential-catastrophe/ Salazar: Oil spill 'massive' and a potential catastrophe,] [[CNN]], 3 May 2010.</ref>

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Congressional investigators think they have identified the rigs blowout preventer as the cause of the explosion. <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240323493707434.html Congress Homes In on Rig's Blowout Preventer,] Ben Casselman and Jennifer Levitz, ''Wall Street Journal Online,'' 13 May 2010.</ref> The blowout preventer was leaking hydraulic fluid, had a dead battery,<ref>Ibid.</ref> and was inspected by the Obama [[Minerals Management Service]] (MMS) only two weeks before to the explosion<ref>White House Press Office, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/press-briefing-bp-oil-spill-gulf-coast Press Briefing on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast,] 29 April 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 12 May 2010.</ref> which killed 11 people. [[Amy Goodman]], a [[leftist]] radio talk show host, has suggested those responsible should be [[prosecute]]d for [[manslaughter]].<ref>[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/law_order_corporate_crime_unit_20100518/ Law & Order,] Amy Goodman, 18 May 2010. Retrieved from truthdigg.com 30 May 2010.</ref>

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Congressional investigators think they have identified the rigs blowout preventer as the cause of the explosion.<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240323493707434.html Congress Homes In on Rig's Blowout Preventer,] Ben Casselman and Jennifer Levitz, ''Wall Street Journal Online,'' 13 May 2010.</ref> The blowout preventer was leaking hydraulic fluid, had a dead battery,<ref>Ibid.</ref> and was inspected by the Obama [[Minerals Management Service]] (MMS) only two weeks before to the explosion<ref>White House Press Office, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/press-briefing-bp-oil-spill-gulf-coast Press Briefing on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast,] 29 April 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 12 May 2010.</ref> which killed 11 people. [[Amy Goodman]], a [[leftist]] radio talk show host, has suggested those responsible should be [[prosecute]]d for [[manslaughter]].<ref>[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/law_order_corporate_crime_unit_20100518/ Law & Order,] Amy Goodman, 18 May 2010. Retrieved from truthdigg.com 30 May 2010.</ref>

Blowout preventers are meant to shut off the well, and the last line of defense is a set of shear rams which cut the pipe and seal off the well.<ref>Congress Homes In on Rig's Blowout Preventer, Ben Casselman and Jennifer Levitz, ''WSJ Online,'' 13 May 2010.</ref> The MMS, the [[Obama administration]] agency that regulates offshore drilling along with the Coast Guard, is supposed to require proof that shear rams are powerful enough to shut the well. Michael Saucier, MMS's regional supervisor testified before Congress that the MMS did not require BP to file a "scenario for potential blowout."<ref>Ibid.</ref> The MMS certified that BP "has the capacity to respond, to the maximum extent practicable, to a worst-case discharge, or a substantial threat of such a discharge."<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/29/gulf-oil-spill-exceeds-bp_n_556798.html</ref>

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=== Brown pelican ===

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[[File:Dead birds and sea turtles.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Dead birds and sea turtles. ]]

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[[File:Dead birds and sea turtles.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Dead birds and sea turtles.]]

The [[Louisiana]] state bird, the Brown Pelican, was removed from protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2009. The Obama administration approved BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig without the proper environmental impact assessment (EIA) required by law. The disaster occurred just as breeding season commenced.

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=== Toxic oil spill rain ===

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A report prepared by the [[Russia]]n Ministry of Natural Resources warned that the leaking [[crude oil]] into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] is about to become the worst [[environment]]al catastrophe in all of human history, threatening the entire eastern half of [[North America]] with “total destruction.” Russian scientists based the assessment on the use of millions of gallons of the government approved chemical dispersant Corexit.

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A report prepared by the [[Russia]]n Ministry of Natural Resources warned that the leaking [[crude oil]] into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] is about to become the worst [[environment]]al catastrophe in all of human history, threatening the entire eastern half of [[North America]] with “total destruction.” Russian scientists based the assessment on the use of millions of gallons of the government approved chemical dispersant Corexit.

The Russian scientists outlined that Corexit, with its 2.61ppm [[toxic]]ity level, combined with the seasonal warming of Gulf of Mexico waters, the [[molecule]]s will be able to “phase transition” from their present [[liquid]] to a gaseous state allowing them to be absorbed into clouds and released as “toxic rain” upon all of Eastern North America.

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Federal officials did not begin burning the leaking oil off the surface of the water until one full week after the rig collapsed.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/burning_should_have_started_a.html Burning should have started a week ago, former NOAA official says,] Ben Raines, ''Mobile Press-Register'', 29 April 2010.</ref> Louisiana Governor [[Bobby Jindal]] criticized [[President Obama]] for his slow response.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzEntQPr9OA</ref> ''The New York Times'' castigated the [[White House]] for delays and not moving quick enough, calling the evidence "damning" and declaring the Gulf oil spill a "huge disaster whose consequences might have been minimized with swifter action" from the [[Obama administration]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/opinion/01sat1.html Unanswered Questions on the Spill,] ''New York Times'' Editorial, 30 April 2010.</ref> One month into the spill, [[Democrat]]ic stalwarts [[James Carville]],<ref>[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2521614/posts Is James Carville racist?], 26 May 2010. Retrieved from freerepublic.com 30 May 2010.</ref> [[Chris Matthews]],<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37632.html#ixzz0om46RhGH</ref> and Donna Brazile<ref>http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/99375-donna-brazile-calls-obamas-oil-spill-response-not-tough-enough</ref> criticized the inept and bungled response to the spreading catastrophe.

[[File:Finalisttransoce.jpeg|left|250px|thumb|Chris Oynes (left) of the Mineral Management Service presents Keelan Adamson (right) of Transocean the MMS's,<br> ''Safety Award for Excellence'' (SAFE),<ref>http://www.mms.gov/awards/SAFEcriteria.htm</ref> at the MMS National Award luncheon, 7 May 2009.<ref>http://www.beaconmag.com/gomrigteamswinmm.html</ref><br>''Source: Beacon magazine'']]

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The [[White House]] lacked any type of plan to combat the disaster. [[U.S. House of Representatives|House]] Democratic Majority Leader [[Steny Hoyer]] publicly admitted that the [[Obama Administration]] was ill-prepared to deal with the situation. <ref>[http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2010/04/mms-thought-deepwater-horizon-was-awardwinningly-safe.html MMS Thought Deepwater Horizon was Award-Winningly SAFE,] The Project on Government Oversight, Exposing Government Corruption, 29 April 2010.</ref> While the disaster steadily grew, Obama did not discuss the crisis at length until he appeared at a photo op at Venice, Louisiana on 3 May 2010.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126467960 Obama Says Oil Spill Damage Could Be Unprecedented,] Scott Horsley, [[NPR]], 3 May 2010.</ref> He would order a moratorium on all future deep sea oil platforms until they determine the problems associated with the current situation. As to be expected, Obama tries to remove himself from blame saying "the system failed", this despite the fact the he heads the system. Then he pointed fingers of blame at oil companies while taking an indirect jab at the Bush administration. <ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005039-503544.html Angry Obama Seeks to Deflect Blame for Gulf Oil Spill Crisis, CBS, May 14, 2010]</ref>

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The [[White House]] lacked any type of plan to combat the disaster. [[U.S. House of Representatives|House]] Democratic Majority Leader [[Steny Hoyer]] publicly admitted that the [[Obama Administration]] was ill-prepared to deal with the situation.<ref>[http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2010/04/mms-thought-deepwater-horizon-was-awardwinningly-safe.html MMS Thought Deepwater Horizon was Award-Winningly SAFE,] The Project on Government Oversight, Exposing Government Corruption, 29 April 2010.</ref> While the disaster steadily grew, Obama did not discuss the crisis at length until he appeared at a photo op at Venice, Louisiana on 3 May 2010.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126467960 Obama Says Oil Spill Damage Could Be Unprecedented,] Scott Horsley, [[NPR]], 3 May 2010.</ref> He would order a moratorium on all future deep sea oil platforms until they determine the problems associated with the current situation. As to be expected, Obama tries to remove himself from blame saying "the system failed", this despite the fact the he heads the system. Then he pointed fingers of blame at oil companies while taking an indirect jab at the Bush administration.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005039-503544.html Angry Obama Seeks to Deflect Blame for Gulf Oil Spill Crisis, CBS, May 14, 2010]</ref>

{{cquote|For too long, for a decade or more, there has been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies. That cannot and will not happen anymore.}}

White House spokesman [[Robert Gibbs]] did his best to put a good spin on the disaster claiming the response was "comprehensive and fast." Meanwhile, the [[Democrat]]-led Congress ordered public hearings from oil executives. President Obama blamed others saying the answers from oil executives were a "ridiculous spectacle," "You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else." <ref>[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/burning_rig_of_fire_VkeuMCffwTUd9IBS7gUV7K?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0oWm4u9zQ New look at Gulf oil spill as cleanup continues, NYPost, May 15, 2010]</ref> As the disaster progressed and questions arose over the government's misreporting and withholding<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bp-feds-withheld-videos-showing-massive-scope-oil/story?id=10819367 BP and Feds Withheld Videos Showing Massive Scope of Oil Spill:] Coast Guard Told Public Not to 'Fixate' On Rate of Spill While Sitting On Video, Brian Ross, Matthew York, and Avni Patel, ABC News, 3 June 2010.</ref> of information from the [[public]] about the true dimensions of the calamity, the ''[[Associated Press]]'' noted,

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[[Environmentalist]]s want the President to push the program. Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund calls the opportunity "a political moment" to pass a carbon tax estimated to cost the average U.S. household $4300 per year.<ref>[http://blog.heritage.org/2009/05/15/the-4300-energy-tax/ The $4300 Energy Tax,] Nicolas Loris, 15 May 2009. Retrieved from Heritage.org, 19 June 2010.</ref>

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Joel Benenson, who conducted polling for Obama’s presidential campaign, thinks the tax increase could pass, but wary Senate Democrats say otherwise. “There’s not a great call for it" said [[West Virginia]] Democratic Senator [[Jay Rockefeller]]. “It’s unrelated” to the immediate crisis in the Gulf noted Senator [[Ben Nelson]], Democrat from [[Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-16/democrats-say-climate-bill-lacks-momentum-after-spill-update3-.html Democrats Say Climate Bill Lacks Momentum After Spill,] Lisa Lerer and Simon Lomax, ''Bloomberg'', 16 June 2010. </ref>

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Joel Benenson, who conducted polling for Obama’s presidential campaign, thinks the tax increase could pass, but wary Senate Democrats say otherwise. “There’s not a great call for it" said [[West Virginia]] Democratic Senator [[Jay Rockefeller]]. “It’s unrelated” to the immediate crisis in the Gulf noted Senator [[Ben Nelson]], Democrat from [[Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-16/democrats-say-climate-bill-lacks-momentum-after-spill-update3-.html Democrats Say Climate Bill Lacks Momentum After Spill,] Lisa Lerer and Simon Lomax, ''Bloomberg'', 16 June 2010.</ref>

=== Assistance of foreign governments ===

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Nearly two-months after the disaster took place, the Obama administration decides to utilize the assistance offered by 17 countries, the U.N and the European Union. <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304232.html After delays, [[U.S.]] begins to tap foreign aid for gulf oil spill, WaPo, June 14, 2010]</ref> International aid offers already accepted include two skimmers and 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) of boom from [[Mexico]], three sets of sweeping arm systems from the Netherlands and 1.86 miles (3.0 kilometers) of boom from Canada, the State Department said. The State Department noted that it has assisted BP in directly sourcing equipment and technical experts from around the world, including from Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], China, Denmark, Latvia, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the [[United Kingdom]]. <ref>[http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100615-275709/US-taps-into-foreign-assistance-for-Gulf-oil-spill US taps into foreign assistance for Gulf oil spill, Agence France-Presse, June 15, 2010]</ref>

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Nearly two-months after the disaster took place, the Obama administration decides to utilize the assistance offered by 17 countries, the U.N and the European Union.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304232.html After delays, [[U.S.]] begins to tap foreign aid for gulf oil spill, WaPo, June 14, 2010]</ref> International aid offers already accepted include two skimmers and 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) of boom from [[Mexico]], three sets of sweeping arm systems from the Netherlands and 1.86 miles (3.0 kilometers) of boom from Canada, the State Department said. The State Department noted that it has assisted BP in directly sourcing equipment and technical experts from around the world, including from Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], China, Denmark, Latvia, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>[http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100615-275709/US-taps-into-foreign-assistance-for-Gulf-oil-spill US taps into foreign assistance for Gulf oil spill, Agence France-Presse, June 15, 2010]</ref>

===Public relations offensive===

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=== Insurance industry ===

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BP, the operator on the oil drilling lease with a 65% stake, insured itself, rather than buying coverage from insurance companies. Industry analysts estimate total costs related to the oil spill cleanup and damages could exceed $14 billion. <ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6410IJ20100502 U.S. oil spill could bill could exceed $14 billion,] Tom Bergin, ''Reuters,'' 2 May 2010.</ref>

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BP, the operator on the oil drilling lease with a 65% stake, insured itself, rather than buying coverage from insurance companies. Industry analysts estimate total costs related to the oil spill cleanup and damages could exceed $14 billion.<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6410IJ20100502 U.S. oil spill could bill could exceed $14 billion,] Tom Bergin, ''Reuters,'' 2 May 2010.</ref>

=== Lost revenue to state and local governments ===

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=== Increased dependency on foreign oil ===

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[[New Jersey]] Democrat Senator [[Robert Menendez]] proposed a ban on new offshore drilling permits and submitted a bill that would retroactively raise the financial liability of BP from $75 million to $10 billion. <ref>[http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2010/05/senator-menendez-on-oil-spill-no-new-drilling-permits.html Senator Menendez on Oil Spill: No New Drilling Permits, ABCNews, May 12, 2010]</ref> Oklahoma [[Republican]] Senator [[James Inhofe]] successfully killed the bill saying it would reduce competition and shut down smaller independent oil companies in favor of larger companies.

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[[New Jersey]] Democrat Senator [[Robert Menendez]] proposed a ban on new offshore drilling permits and submitted a bill that would retroactively raise the financial liability of BP from $75 million to $10 billion.<ref>[http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2010/05/senator-menendez-on-oil-spill-no-new-drilling-permits.html Senator Menendez on Oil Spill: No New Drilling Permits, ABCNews, May 12, 2010]</ref> Oklahoma [[Republican]] Senator [[James Inhofe]] successfully killed the bill saying it would reduce competition and shut down smaller independent oil companies in favor of larger companies.

=== Too big to fail ===

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An oil industry trade publication<ref>[http://oilprice.com/Environment/Oil-Spills/The-Cover-up-BP-s-Crude-Politics-and-the-Looming-Environmental-Mega-Disaster.html The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from oilprice.com 6 June 2010.</ref> reports [[President Obama]] and senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary [[Ken Salazar]], are working with BP on [[legislation]] that would raise the cap on [[liability]] for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However the disaster has the real potential of costing nearly $1 trillion. Critics point out that in the deal between Obama and BP, $10 billion is a drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster. Talk is noted in government circles, including [[FEMA]], of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world, and BP would, if its assets were nationalized, be credited with almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes.<ref>[http://www.infowars.com/the-cover-up-bps-crude-politics-and-the-looming-environmental-mega-disaster-2/ The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from infowars.com 6 June 2010.</ref><ref>[http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/31/why_obama_should_put_bp_under_temporary_receiversh/ Why Obama Should Put BP Under Temporary Receivership,] [[~~Obama_doublespeak~~#Change|Robert Reich]], 31 May 2010. Retrieved from talkingpointsmemo.com, 6 June 2010.</ref>

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An oil industry trade publication<ref>[http://oilprice.com/Environment/Oil-Spills/The-Cover-up-BP-s-Crude-Politics-and-the-Looming-Environmental-Mega-Disaster.html The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from oilprice.com 6 June 2010.</ref> reports [[President Obama]] and senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary [[Ken Salazar]], are working with BP on [[legislation]] that would raise the cap on [[liability]] for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However the disaster has the real potential of costing nearly $1 trillion. Critics point out that in the deal between Obama and BP, $10 billion is a drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster. Talk is noted in government circles, including [[FEMA]], of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world, and BP would, if its assets were nationalized, be credited with almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes.<ref>[http://www.infowars.com/the-cover-up-bps-crude-politics-and-the-looming-environmental-mega-disaster-2/ The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from infowars.com 6 June 2010.</ref><ref>[http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/31/why_obama_should_put_bp_under_temporary_receiversh/ Why Obama Should Put BP Under Temporary Receivership,] [[Obama doublespeak#Change|Robert Reich]], 31 May 2010. Retrieved from talkingpointsmemo.com, 6 June 2010.</ref>

After Obama charged [[Attorney General]] [[Eric Holder]] to investigate the disaster, BP establish a $20 billion extrajudicial fund managed by an Obama appointee.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37574 Obama's Latest Shakedown,] David Limbaugh, ''Human Events'', 06/20/2010.</ref> Former [[CNN]] news writer and radio talk show host Mike Malloy suggested Holder is beholden to [[corporatist]] interests.<ref>[http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100603042451.aspx The AG vs. BP: Little Skepticism on ABC and NBC, While Lefty Talker Blasts Holder as 'Corporatist' Pretender], Rich Noyes, Media Research Center, 3 June 2010.</ref>

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{{Cquote|If our government had fought [[WWII]] like the way we’re fighting the oil spill, there’s a good chance many of us would be speaking [[German]] today.<ref>[http://www.ihatethemedia.com/david-gergen-rips-obama-oil-spill-response Another Democrat turns on Obama: David Gergen rips Obama’s oil spill response, Ihatethemedia.com, May 27, 2010]</ref>}}

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Republican Chairman [[Michael Steele]] criticized the president for golfing while the oil crisis worsened. <ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/06/cincinnati-billboard-serves-boehner-political-water-hazard?test=latestnews#ixzz0vt9Ojx4N Cincinnati Billboard Serves As Boehner Political Water Hazard, FOXNews, August 6, 2010</ref> {{cquote|Until this problem is fixed, no more golf outings.}}

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Republican Chairman [[Michael Steele]] criticized the president for golfing while the oil crisis worsened.<ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/06/cincinnati-billboard-serves-boehner-political-water-hazard?test=latestnews#ixzz0vt9Ojx4N Cincinnati Billboard Serves As Boehner Political Water Hazard, FOXNews, August 6, 2010]</ref> {{cquote|Until this problem is fixed, no more golf outings.}}

[[Peggy Noonan]], a speech writer for President's Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, summed up public perceptions with,

{{Cquote|The president, in my view, continues to govern in a way that suggests he is chronically detached from the central and immediate concerns of his countrymen.... he has not, almost from the day he was inaugurated, been in sync with the [[Centrist|center]]....The American people have spent at least two years worrying that high government spending would, in the end, undo the republic. They saw the dollars gushing night and day...And now we have a videotape metaphor for all the public’s fears: the well gushing black oil into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] ...His philosophy is that it is appropriate for the federal government to occupy a more burly, significant and powerful place in America—confronting its problems of need, injustice, inequality. ... Then the oil spill came and government could not do the job, could not meet the need ...[[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] illustrate[d] that even though the federal government in our time has continually taken on new missions and responsibilities, the more it took on, the less it seemed capable of performing even its most essential jobs. [[Conservative]]s got this point—they know it without being told—but [[liberal]]s and [[progressive]]s did not. They thought Katrina was the result only of [[George W. Bush]]’s incompetence and conservatives’ failure to “believe in government.” But Mr. Obama was supposed to be competent....It’s not good to have a president in this position—weakened, polarizing and lacking broad public support—less than halfway through his term. That it is his fault is no comfort.<ref>[http://www.peggynoonan.com/article.php?article=524 He Was Supposed to Be Competent]: The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy., Peggy Noonan, ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', 29 May 2010.</ref>}}

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''[[New York Times]]'' columnist [[~~Liberal_hate_speech~~#~~Against_the_disabled~~|Maureen Dowd]] wrote,

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''[[New York Times]]'' columnist [[Liberal hate speech#Against the disabled|Maureen Dowd]] wrote,

{{Cquote|Obama and top aides who believe in his [[divinity]] make a mistake to dismiss complaints of his aloofness as Washington white noise. He treats the press as a nuisance rather than examining his own inability to encapsulate Americans’ feelings.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30dowd.html Once More, With Feeling,] Maureen Dowd, ''New York Time'' Op Ed, 29 mMay 2010.l</ref>}}

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[[Hollywood values|Liberal Hollywood]] director [[James Cameron]] says;

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{{cquote|Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/cameron-titanic-spill-morons/2010/06/03/id/361007 'Titanic' Director Cameron: 'Morons' Directing Spill Efforts, NewsMax, June, 2010]</ref>}}

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{{cquote|Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/cameron-titanic-spill-morons/2010/06/03/id/361007 'Titanic' Director Cameron: 'Morons' Directing Spill Efforts, NewsMax, June, 2010]</ref>}}

Obnoxious Hollywood liberal [[Rosie O'Donnell]] said, "We broke the womb of freaking mother Earth." <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2010/06/08/rosie-odonnell-wants-bps-assets-seized-we-broke-freakin-womb-mother-eart Rosie O'Donnell Wants BP's Assets Seized, NewsBusters.org, June 8, 2010]</ref> In addition, O'Donnell accused BP of

{{cquote|willful homicide, willful mass murder" and demanded BP be nationalized immediately: "I say seize their assets. Right now. Seize their assets today. Take over the company.}}

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[[Brad Pitt]], appears in a Spike Lee film denouncing the oil spill and his desire to see BP executives get the death penalty. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1008/pitt_death_penalty_for_bp.html Brad Pitt: Death Penalty For BP, Politico, August 23, 2010]</ref>

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[[Brad Pitt]], appears in a Spike Lee film denouncing the oil spill and his desire to see BP executives get the death penalty.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1008/pitt_death_penalty_for_bp.html Brad Pitt: Death Penalty For BP, Politico, August 23, 2010]</ref>

===Foreign reaction===

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Relations between allies the [[U.K.]] and U.S. are now at historic lows thanks to Barack Obama's mishandling of the oil spill. Britain had been repeatedly mocked by Obama prior to the spill<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/mar/06/obama-dvd-brown Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts,] ''Guardian UK,'' March 6, 2009.</ref> <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4623148/Barack-Obama-sends-bust-of-Winston-Churchill-on-its-way-back-to-Britain.html Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain,] ''Telegraph UK,'' February 14, 2009.</ref> <ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/03/obama_disses_brit_pm.html Obama disses Brit PM, American Thinker,] March 5, 2009.</ref> but now find themselves subjected to endless [[propaganda]]. Prominent foreign dignitaries have expressed the public's growing frustration with the administration's posturing and hunt for scapegoats. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who supported Obama in 2008, decried "anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling" while Lord Tebbit branded Mr Obama's conduct “despicable” and the president's rhetoric

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Relations between allies the [[U.K.]] and U.S. are now at historic lows thanks to Barack Obama's mishandling of the oil spill. Britain had been repeatedly mocked by Obama prior to the spill<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/mar/06/obama-dvd-brown Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts,] ''Guardian UK,'' March 6, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4623148/Barack-Obama-sends-bust-of-Winston-Churchill-on-its-way-back-to-Britain.html Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain,] ''Telegraph UK,'' February 14, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/03/obama_disses_brit_pm.html Obama disses Brit PM, American Thinker,] March 5, 2009.</ref> but now find themselves subjected to endless [[propaganda]]. Prominent foreign dignitaries have expressed the public's growing frustration with the administration's posturing and hunt for scapegoats. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who supported Obama in 2008, decried "anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling" while Lord Tebbit branded Mr Obama's conduct “despicable” and the president's rhetoric

{{cquote|a crude, [[bigot]]ed, [[xenophobic]] display of [[partisan]] political Presidential petulance."<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285467/BP-OIL-SPILL-Lord-Tebbit-Boris-Johnson-attack-Obamas-anti-British-rhetoric.html#ixzz0rK7zthtN</ref><ref>[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23843524-boris-johnson-tells-barack-obama-stop-bashing-britain.do Boris Johnson tells Barack Obama: Stop bashing Britain,] London Evening Standard, June 6, 2010.</ref>}}

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The atmosphere Obama created in Britain is so toxic that the British press has labelled Barack Obama the most unpopular man in England. <ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/17/2010-06-17_president_barack_obama_is_the_most_hated_man_in_england_says_british_reporter.html Barack Obama: the most unpopular man in Britain?,] Telegraph UK, June 17, 2010.</ref>

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The atmosphere Obama created in Britain is so toxic that the British press has labelled Barack Obama the most unpopular man in England.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/17/2010-06-17_president_barack_obama_is_the_most_hated_man_in_england_says_british_reporter.html Barack Obama: the most unpopular man in Britain?,] Telegraph UK, June 17, 2010.</ref>

==References==

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==External ~~Links~~==

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==External links==

* [http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23oilspill Twitter Feed: #Oilspill (warning vulgar comments left)]

* [http://www.bp.com/bodycopyarticle.do?categoryId=1&contentId=7052055&nicam=USCSBaselineCrisis&nisrc=Google&nigrp=Non_Branded Official BP Global Oil Spill News Website]

* [http://dailybail.com/slideshows/bp-disaster-dying-birds/5613601 Photos of Gulf birds covered in oil]

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