Why Is the Gulf Cleanup So Slow?

asks Paul H. Rubin, professor of economics at Emory University.


Why Is the Gulf Cleanup So Slow? (Paul H. Rubin, 7/2/2010 Wall Street Journal)

"There are obvious actions to speed things up, but the government oddly resists taking them.

"As the oil spill continues and the cleanup lags, we must begin to ask difficult and uncomfortable questions. There does not seem to be much that anyone can do to stop the spill except dig a relief well, not due until August. But the cleanup is a different story. The press and Internet are full of straightforward suggestions for easy ways of improving the cleanup, but the federal government is resisting these remedies." [The article continues.]

Professor Rubin lists four such remedies:

1. The Environmental Protection Agency can relax restrictions on the amount of oil in discharged water, so that skimmers and tankers can suck up the water with oil, discharge the mostly clean water and store the oil.

2. The Obama administration can waive the Jones Act, which restricts foreign ships from operating in U.S. coastal waters. Taiwanese has the world-largest skimmer, 10-story high, which can remove 500,000 barrels of oil PER DAY.

3. The federal government can free American-based skimmers by easing the regulations so that more US skimmers can join the current 400 that have been deployed.

4. The Obama administration can also permit more state and local initiatives. [Remember that the Coast Guard stopped the skimming operation ordered by the Louisiana governor because it needed to see if the boats had life-vests and fire extinguishers.]

None of these are happening. Why? asks the professor. And he speculates three possible reasons:

1. Sheer incompetence of the administration. But he dismisses by saying "But the government is full of competent people, and the military and Coast Guard can accomplish an assigned mission. In any case, several remedies require nothing more than getting out of the way."

2. The administration places a higher priority on interests other than the fate of the Gulf, such as placating organized labor.

3. "Never waste a good crisis" mentality to push the administration's energy agendas.

I'd say all of three, and one more:

4. This administration, like the one before this, truly believes in the power and competence of the government, and particularly of the executive branch. Letting go of the power by loosening regulations, if only for a while, is unthinkable.

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