Evidence implicating the govt's role in allowing BP to drill in 5,000 ft of water?

[Cynanthrope]

I'm having trouble finding evidence sources of the govt's culpability in the gulf oil spill, so could someone post link sources which prove that the govt. prohibited BP from drilling in 500 ft. but allowed it to drill in 5,000 ft. of water?

Thanks.

[ClayTrainor]

http://florence.kval.com/content/legislature-votes-ban-offshore-drilling-until-2020 - Legislature votes to ban offshore drilling until 2020

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:JKhzooTsWdcJ:www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/feature_articles/2005/offshore/offshore.pdf+oil+drilling+regulations&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESikN2k43nKBi8yZXkIHijtLpDu4GnMYBobKxOZ0 J3nJkyuURYUBLVFWTquYONG8aAV8rSuYqXXQlCtIclkx1PjTp9 yydgXbVSDv01S0wq6TXlXDXo9rsRaMdApsqvSaxnAp3u0X&sig=AHIEtbTo-nqyzyWJJ-H7gsCrbrIzajF3aA - The section entitled "Legislation and Regulations related to Environmental Issues" lays out the many layers of regulation that go back to the 60's or so.

George bush appeared at a press conference with his Brother Jeb In 2002. GWB signed an order that banned oil drilling within 25 miles of Florida's coast: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=053002&ID=s1156519

In 2008, Jeb offered his own offshore drilling proposal, that would have prohibited any and all drilling within 100 miles of the Flordia coast. http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/19/an-oily-mess.html


There are also a good chunk of tax incentives for moving further off shore and into deeper waters, but I'm too busy to keep digging up sources right now.

Hope this helps. :)

[ClayTrainor]

“By introducing this legislation today, Senators Feingold, Menendez, and I are acting to hold these companies accountable for the unused acreage they already lease and reject the false argument that opening up new acreage to drilling will solve our energy problems.”

http://feingold.senate.gov/releases/08/07/20080710.html

Here is the map to offshore drilling areas from 2008 to show you the scale of the off-shore regulations, for reference:
http://www.mms.gov/5-year/assets/Maps/National_withdrawn(grey).pdf

[newbitech]

here is a start for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_oil_and_gas_in_the_United_States

States "own" 3 miles from the coast except FL west coast and TX which is 10 miles out.

The Geneva Convention in 1958, recognized the rights of each nation to mine minerals out to the adjacent continental shelf + 200 meters.

President Regan issued a proclamation extending the US Exclusive Economic Zone to 200 miles from shore.

Here is another lead on drilling in Federal Waters in The GoM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_oil_and_gas_in_the_US_Gulf_of_Mexico

As far as water depth, you will want to look at how the Minerals Management Service
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerals_Management_Service aka The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement aka Bureau of Ocean Energy an agency of the
United States Department of the Interior conducts its affairs.

Here is a snippet from an article that may interest you as far as culpability.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/6996736.html


BP officials say the regulatory environment had nothing to do with the accident. If well shut-off equipment on the seafloor, known as a blowout preventer, had worked properly, the accident would have been avoided, said Bob Fryar, senior vice president of BP's exploration and production in Angola, a deepwater drilling hot spot in southwestern Africa.
In Washington, drilling defenders such as Sen. John Cornyn of Texas concur that this was a “one in a million sort of incident.”
But Cornyn, a pro-industry Republican, concedes, “This is one of those incidences that, when it occurs, of course, it changes everything in terms of our perception about the risk and the consequences of failure.”
A sign of just how far the political mood in the nation's capital has changed comes from West Virginia Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, the great-grandson of the founder of Standard Oil.
“I'm no fan of the oil companies,” says the Democrat, whose family once dominated the U.S. drilling scene. “So if (future government action) works out badly for them, I'm probably for it.”
Among the regulatory decisions at the center of this political storm:
• • The 2003 decision by the Interior Department's Mineral Management Service that remote-control shut-off switches would not be required as a last resort against underwater spills.
• • The MMS's failure to suggest other “fail-safe” mechanisms after a 2004 report raised questions about the reliability of the remote-control devices.
• • A waiver granted by the Interior Department to BP last year exempting the company from a detailed environmental analysis, concluding the spill risk in that part of the Gulf was “minimal or nonexistent.”
• • A regulatory mindset during the George W. Bush administration that Democrats say weakened federal oversight of domestic energy producers and encouraged voluntary compliance and adoption of “best practices.”
• • The 1990 decision by Congress to cap economic damages at $75 million in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.
Environmental groups see a direct relationship between the political spending of the industry and actions in Washington, citing, for example, the 2009 decision to end a two-decade moratorium on new offshore drilling and the damages cap — which could limit Gulf Coast residents' and governments' ability to win compensation from BP for lost profits, destroyed property and lost tax revenues.

[ClayTrainor]

Great sources Newbitech, thanks!

[cswake]

For me this seems to be the best place to start to piece everything together:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macondo_Prospect

There are two important databases to use:

Louisiana's Department of Natural Resources Database
http://sonris-www.dnr.state.la.us/www_root/sonris_portal_1.htm
MMS Database
http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/fastfacts/apd/master.asp


Here are documents on the original sale of permits to oil:

Press Release http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press0319.htm
NOAA Survey of Lease 206 http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/mau_gom_pa.pdf


The government definitely did fail by exempting multiple oil companies FROM oversight. Specifically, groups sue MMS over improper exemption of spill plans:
http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/05/groups_sue_mms.html

There is one thing I don't have linking everything is that the area that Deep Water Horizon was operating in, MC 252 Macondo Prospect, only extends from 4600 to 5200 feet before it encounters the boundaries of areas that other oil companies had permits to. (See page 3)

http://www.gomr.mms.gov/PI/PDFImages/PLANS/29/29977.pdf

So I'm not sure where Judge Napalitano got the information that BP requested to drill at 500 feet since the rights for this area don't extend that far inland.

[Zippyjuan]

BP is getting creative to avoid an off- shore drilling ban in Alaska. They have been building an island mostly from gravel up there where they want to drill a well. This well will go down two miles and then they will attempt to drill horizontally for an unheard of distance of eight miles to reach an offshore deposit. Horizontal drilling is not that unusual but the distance certainly is. They will be using a new and more powerful drill for the process but there is concern that because it is so powerful they may not be able to notice the "buck" when you hit a gas pocket which could lead to a blowout if not noticed and dealt with properly.
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/24/4555977-bp-builds-its-own-island-so-alaska-drilling-is-onshore

BP has a history of problems related to trying to cut costs in their oil business.

[cswake]

BP has a history of problems related to trying to cut costs in their oil business.

It's amazing that the owner of property would exempt a person or company with a history of polluting from additional prevention efforts...

To add to the discussion, the government is also failing to repeal the Jones Act, which would permit foreign supertankers to suck up oil:

YouTube - "Obama Has No Plan To Get U.S. Off Oil" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPivXkamPbQ)

[Zippyjuan]

Wasn't it not that long ago that people here were clammoring about liberals and wacko environmentalists not allowing any off shore oil drilling? If we did that we would not need to fight any wars in the Middle East or other places for oil? And also argue that we should not have regulations on businesses? Get rid of EPA and the Department of Energy? Now an accident occurs and that is their fault too.

I think people who drive cars are to blame.


The government definitely did fail by exempting multiple oil companies FROM oversight

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

The government can not possibly be to blame because the people know who to elect to government to take care of or prevent these things.

[Dr.3D]

Maybe if they were allowed to drill on shore, none of this would have happened.

[j6p]

Wow Bush helped creat this mess too, not just obama. This whole show of Republicans blame demoloons and demoloons blame republicanloons.

[jmdrake]

Wasn't it not that long ago that people here were clammoring about liberals and wacko environmentalists not allowing any off shore oil drilling? If we did that we would not need to fight any wars in the Middle East or other places for oil? And also argue that we should not have regulations on businesses? Get rid of EPA and the Department of Energy? Now an accident occurs and that is their fault too.

I think people who drive cars are to blame.

Do you realize that the main problem with the spill is that it's so deep the repairs are hard to do? Do you realize that the ban on off shore shallow drilling was what many people (including myself) were complaining about? Oil companies aren't being allowed to drill where it makes sense and they are being allowed to drill where it doesn't make sense. Deepwater drilling is more expensive and riskier than shallow water drilling, yet shallow water drilling was what was not allowed. Also drilling in places like ANWAR is off the table and shouldn't be.

[jmdrake]

Wow Bush helped creat this mess too, not just obama. This whole show of Republicans blame demoloons and demoloons blame republicanloons.

Yep. I couldn't agree more.

[Dr.3D]

Do you realize that the main problem with the spill is that it's so deep the repairs are hard to do? Do you realize that the ban on off shore shallow drilling was what many people (including myself) were complaining about? Oil companies aren't being allowed to drill where it makes sense and they are being allowed to drill where it doesn't make sense. Deepwater drilling is more expensive and riskier than shallow water drilling, yet shallow water drilling was what was not allowed. Also drilling in places like ANWAR is off the table and shouldn't be.

Didn't you intend to add the word "not" there? :)

[jmdrake]

Didn't you intend to add the word "not" there? :)

Yes. Thank you for the correction.