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September 28, 2010

Oil Spill Commission Holds Hearing
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The White House Oil Spill Commission heard testimony Monday about the BP
Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Commissioners
expressed skepticism that the response to the spill was not impacted by
BP and the federal government’s initial underestimation of the size of
the spill. Meanwhile, Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said that
the government needs to clarify the roles that federal and local
governments and companies play in response to future oil spills.

Thad Allen: "Because of the uniqueness of oil and chemical spills,
multi-jurisdictions, the fact that they go beyond state waters, there
was a presumption in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that the federal
government will coordinate this. That is not what the cities and
counties and locales in the Gulf had been used to; for a large spill,
they’re used to the Stafford Act structure where the resources are
provided to them, and they execute them. There was a reconciliation that
had to be carried out between the assumption of the role of the state
and local governments, as far as executing spill response, and the
responsibilities we have under the law to execute the national
contingency plan and our fiduciary responsibility, the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund."



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