Republicans lashed out at the Obama administration yesterday for using the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for political purposes, signaling sharpening partisanship during a crucial period in which Democrats hope to build support for climate legislation.
That effort was clouded yesterday as the White House threatened to veto Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alaska) resolution blocking U.S. EPA from regulating thousands of businesses that release carbon dioxide. Critics charge that the EPA rules will shock companies with new costs.
The White House punctuated its opposition to the resolution, to be considered by the Senate tomorrow, by claiming Murkowski's effort would weaken the government's ability to address environmental catastrophes, like the "ongoing BP oil spill."
A peeved Murkowski argued that the administration's "leap of logic," along with environmental groups' attacks linking her resolution with oiled wildlife, obscures her intent: to prevent a massive inflation of agency power that would drown jobs and hike energy prices.
"To have made this connection here that this resolution is all about the oil industry or the energy industry is just absolutely flawed," Murkowski said. "But what I think is happening is the administration and those who oppose me on this are looking to, I think, confuse the issue. I think they're doing a pretty good job of that."
"Stunning," she added of the president's veto threat, suggesting it was manufactured to exploit the spill. "What would he have said if the oil spill had not happened? So I don't know how they made that connect."
The White House Statement of Administration Policy issued yesterday leaned in part on the spill to make its case against Murkowski's "disapproval resolution." The White House document also asserts that stripping EPA of its obligations to address greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act would roll back new fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, which could save motorists $3,000 in fuel costs over the lifetime of future cars.
The resolution would also "undermine the Administration's efforts to reduce the negative impacts of pollution and the risks associated with environmental catastrophes, like the ongoing BP oil spill," the administration document adds. "As seen in the Gulf of Mexico, environmental disasters harm families, destroy jobs, and pollute the Nation's air, land and water."
Dolphin and Sea Turtle deaths only the tip of the iceberg: By The National Wildlife Federation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have confirmed at least one dead dolphin and one dead sea turtle have visible signs of oil damage. So far, 29 dead dolphins and 227 dead sea turtles have been collected within the BP oil spill area, but the vast majority have not been tested for oil.
As NWF senior scientist Dr. Doug Inkley explains, these numbers tell only part of the story: “The deaths of dolphins and sea turtles are particularly tragic, because we know we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with those that have been washed up onshore and tested.”
Researchers have reported at least two massive underwater plumes of oil, each hundreds of feet deep and stretching for miles. The effect of these plumes on marine life remains hidden beneath the ocean’s surface, making it impossible to capture the full scope of the oil spill’s impact.
To better understand what is happening below the surface, members of the National Wildlife Federation along with Dr. Kevin Boswell of Louisiana State University recently lowered a remote operated vehicle 200 feet down into waters off the Gulf shore. You can watch a video of what they found here.
As officials warn that oil from the spill could keep spewing until August, the National Wildlife Federation continues to work around the clock to be the voice of wildlife during this crisis.
Obama administration needs to step up role in BP oil spill: By Letters to the Editor/The Star-Ledger May 28, 2010
Government must step in
It’s been more than a month since the oil rig Deepwater Horizon began leaking thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to destroy centuries-old fishing and oyster industries and to contaminate the food supply of fish and mammal populations. Despite its efforts to stem the leak, BP has only been moderately successful.
In reaction, all the Obama administration has managed to do is put Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in front of the cameras and have him wag his finger at BP. While Salazar is busy assigning blame to a company that has clearly acknowledged it’s at fault, the oil keeps leaking into the environment.
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