1994: The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) crafted a plan for massive offshore oil spills: to round up the oil within fire booms and then burn it off. Some
experts feel this could have contained 95% of the oil in the current Gulf oil spill. Problem is, the federal government never purchased any fire booms.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/where_was_plan_rlt5oDKad55hkqHe64BgqM 2008:
President-elect Obama promised that he would straighten up the Department of the Interior and the Mineral Management Service (part of the Interior Department). "I...want an Interior Department that, very frankly, cleans up its act."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/12/17/AR2008121701589.htmlMr. Obama receives more than $77,000 from British Petroleum, the biggest recipient of their political donations ever.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=6584A5A0-18FE-70B2-A838E6437FBEC75D2009:The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was awarded a safety award by the MMS.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/04/transocean-deepwater-hori_n_563042.htmlHowever, MMS apparently wasn't performing the proper oversight of drilling off our coasts, according to Vice-President Biden, who stated, "We’re finding out that the oversight was as bad as I thought it was in my career as a senator.”
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/vp-biden-were-finding-out-the-oil-drilling-oversight-was-as-bad-as-i-thought.htmlIn fact, the MMS had not been performing the monthly inspections on the drilling rig that it was supposed to do. The Deepwater Horizon rig also was operating without the required MMS safety authentications.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100516/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_inspectionsYet, despite his claims to "clean up" the MMS, Mr. Obama left many of the top officials in their offices at the MMS--and the MMS gave BP a "catagorical exclusion" from the National Environmental Policy Act in April 2009.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/05/politics/washingtonpost/main6462513.shtml2010:April 20, 2010--The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes, killing 11 crew members and releasing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
The spill is estimated to be flowing at a rate of 1,000 barrels per day.
Mr. Obama attends fundraiser in Los Angeles for Barbara Boxer.
April 22--Mr. Obama hosts Rose Garden Earth Day reception. He then flies to New York City to push the bank regulation bill.
April 23--The Netherlands offers help in the Gulf oil spill catastrophe. The offer is refused.
April 24-26--President Obama and his wife Michelle have a weekend getaway in North Carolina (goft, hiking, dinners, and brunch)
April 26--President Obama hosts NY Yankees at White House.
April 27--President Obama flies to Iowa to tour.
April 28--Mr. Obama tours Missouri.
April 29--White House website updated with pictures of Mr. Obama and others working on Gulf oil spill. (Apparently the first mention by the White House of the spill).
Government scientists estimate the spill to be 5,000 barrels per day, using faulty calculation techniques.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/14oil.htmlMr. Obama attends DNC fundraiser.
April 30th--President Obama decides to NOT authorize new drilling off of Alaska and Florida.
May 1--President Obama enjoys Jay Leno at White House Correspondents' dinner and tries out some comedy routines himself.
May 2--Mr. Obama goes to Louisiana.
May 3--The President hosts the Navy football team at the White House.
May 5--Cinquo de Mayo celebration at the White House.
May 8--Golfing outing.
May 11--More golf.
Louisiana governor Jindal requests dredging to build 24 sand berms to protect fragile wetlands from the oil spill.
May 13--President Obama flies to Buffalo
May 14--Mr. Obama gives first speech on oil spill, in the Rose Garden.
Interior Secretary Salazar calls for a 6 month moratorium on Gulf drilling, stating that a panel of seven experts "peer reviewed" this recommendation and implying that the experts agreed with this decision.
Not so fast, say the experts. They don't agree with the moratorium;
in fact, they are quite opposed to it. The experts, in fact, feel that stopping drilling is a bad idea---a six-month moratorium may lead to drilling rigs being sent overseas to other oil fields, potentially leaving older and more dangerous rigs here in the United States, and possibly stopping drilling for years.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/experts-say-obama-misrepresented-views-justify-offshore-drilling-ban/May 15--More golf.
May 16--Still more golf.
May 18--Interior Secretary Salazar admits that the MMS has continued to give permits and environmental waivers since the moratorium announced on May 14th.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/us/24moratorium.html?pagewanted=allMr. Obama tours plant in Ohio.
May 19--State dinner for Mexican President Calderon.
May 20--Mr. Obama meets with Bono.
May 21--Mr. Obama meets with Pittsburgh Steelers.
May 22--I'll let you guess (hint--golfing)
May 24--Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Allen, when asks if British Petroleum's efforts should be replaced by those of the federal government's, "Replace them with what?"
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/05/24/top_fed_official_on_pushing_bp_out_replace_them_with_what.htmlMay 25--The President goes to San Francisco to a party with the Getty family and to raise money for Barbara Boxer.
May 26--He visits in California.
May 27--After the President assured everyone that “the federal government is fully engaged and I’m fully engaged,” he is unsure whether the head of the MMS was fired or resigned on her own.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/27/breaking-mms-director-fired/?fbid=8JhVsdNxqCz
Then the President meets with the Duke basketball team and the World Cup soccer team, followed by a Memorial weekend getaway with his family to Chicago.
June 1--Back to D.C. to meet with oil spill experts.
June 2--Party with Paul McCartney.
June 4--Mr. Obama flies to Louisiana. Six sand berms are approved by the Administration.
June 5--Talk on oil spill that was recorded previously
June 6--President Obama hosts White House party and then attends theater.
June 8--Mr. Obama hosts BBQ for Congress.
June 11--Date night with Michelle with dinner and Broadway play.
June 13--Golf
June 14--Mr. Obama goes to Louisiana. The Obama Administration asks the European Union--twice now--to help with oil containment. Mr. Obama also accepts help--finally--from Canada, the Netherlands, Mexico, Norway and other countries.
June 15--President Obama holds Oval Office address. He appoints his 40th (give or take a few) czar to fix the Gulf oil spill.
June 16: The President speaks to British Petroleum--for 20 minutes.
