Saturday, May 15, 2010
Under the Bush and Obama administrations, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has granted permits to BP and other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico despite environmental concerns raised by another federal agency that endangered species could be threatened.
The MMS also has repeatedly ignored the warnings of its own staff of experts about the safety and impact of allowing companies to drill for oil in the Gulf and in Alaska. Some agency scientists said they were pressured by senior officials to alter their reports if they included references to potential oil-spill accidents.
Outside of the MMS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned about drilling in the Gulf, citing federal requirements under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act to factor in the possible danger of oil exploration to various species.
Although MMS spokesperson Kendra Barkoff tried to blame the Bush administration for the poor decision-making by her agency, the fact remains that the MMS under Obama has approved “at least three huge lease sales, 103 seismic blasting projects and 346 drilling plans,” according to The New York Times. “Agency records also show that permission for those projects and plans was granted without getting the permits required under federal law.”
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has said he intends to split up the MMS by separating its permitting function from the division that collects royalties from oil and gas companies. However, the Center for Biological Diversity has announced its intention to sue Salazar for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits (by Ian Urbina, New York Times)
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