There is a saying used somewhat facetiously that declares “when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.” A similar saying could apply to the terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. When hours count, government help is only months away. Despite President Obama’s protestations to the contrary, the current administration has proven itself to be woefully incompetent in the handling of this environmental disaster.
If Obama’s claim that he has been on top of this situation since day one is true then he should be impeached. As I write this, we are at day 76 of this disaster and despite the efforts of thousands of individuals, relatively little has been accomplished. The big news today is that the Whale, a huge converted oil tanker with the potential of processing 21 million gallons of oil contaminated water is now in the Gulf. But what is it doing? It is engaged in testing under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA is trying to determine how effective the Whale will be in cleaning the water of oil. Advance billing claims that this huge skimmer can remove 99 percent of the oil, retain it on the ship for use, and return the relatively clean (only 1 percent residual oil) to the Gulf. Initially, the Whale was rejected because of this residual oil. Years ago, this country was swept by a zero defect mentality and the damage done by the program is inestimable. Now, the egg-heads at EPA turn their noses up at mere 99 percent effectiveness. Nothing is perfect folks. Wouldn’t it be better to remove even a modest 90 percent or 80 percent of the oil than to let it continue to despoil that region’s economy?
The EPA has far too much power and far too little expertise to be charged with oversight of this catastrophe. Many years ago, I was a salesman for a manufacturer of small business jets. I was based in Atlanta and received a directive from corporate headquarters to meet one of our new airplanes at Hartsfield Airport and accompany it to Long Beach, California, for some field testing by the EPA. The test was to determine how much pollutant the jet engines were adding to the environment at the very busy Orange County Airport. I dutifully complied and after the long flight and a night’s rest, we positioned the airplane at a designated spot.
The EPA geniuses showed up and went through lengthy and elaborate procedures setting up their test equipment. After considerable time, we were advised to return to Wichita, Kansas, and from there I could take an airline back to Atlanta. At that point we had done nothing with the airplane. When we asked what had happened, we were told that the ambient air was already so polluted that it exceeded the standards established by the EPA. In other words, the standards established in some cubicle in DC expected our airplane to ingest air, burn fuel in it, and in essence clean it prior to blowing it out the exhaust.
Other bureaucratic foul-ups? There are plenty. Over 17 nations volunteered to help in the cleanup and it took months for any of them to be cleared to enter the area. Governor Jindal of Louisiana has begged for expedited help from the Feds but he has been snubbed. Local communities have attempted to build berms to prevent the oil from ruining local beaches or invading coastal marsh lands. They have been denied by the U.S. Corps of Engineers because their plans are deemed incomplete or have not been vetted by appropriate federal agencies. Unbelievable? Not really. Dozens of agencies seem to have say-so or veto authority in the solutions to this spill.
What is lacking is executive leadership – ostensibly the purview of the President. Our Commander-in-chief seems to lack the insight or oversight or judgment to handle a crisis of this magnitude. God help us if we have an enemy attack. Perhaps Rahm Emanuel’s desire to always use a crisis for political advantage is playing a role here. Why the paralysis by analysis? Does loyalty to the labor movement or the desire to ram Cap and Trade down our throats give us a clue?
A real CIC would have done the following. First, he would have recognized that this is a major catastrophe. Instead of bad-mouthing BP and threatening them with criminal action, he should have called them in within 48 hours and told them they were going to pay but also pledged to them the entire resources of the United States to help fix the problem. Foreign help should have been accepted and expedited. If trillions can be spent willy-nilly, then billions could be dedicated to hiring or giving assistance. EPA should have been told to stand down and shut up. Miniscule inadequacies in the clean-up process can be rectified later. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Corps of Engineers should have been ordered to facilitate rather than impede efforts. Some rules can be set aside temporarily when the mission is critical and time is of the essence.
Take no comfort from the fact that we are – or were – the most powerful nation in the world. When hours count, bloated bureaucracy and poor or incompetent leadership can keep government response months away. I pity the folks in the Gulf whose lives are being devastated and pray for our country which is suffering from a lack of competence at the top.
--------------------------------------------
Karl Day is a West Point graduate, a former Ranger, Green Beret and a decorated Vietnam veteran. After leaving the Army he spent over 20 years marketing commercial airplanes and has traveled world-wide. He served for nine years as senior editor and writer for the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. Now a freelance writer, he is retired and lives with his wife and son in Greer, SC.
