It's past time to do something serious about BP's sluggish pace in stopping the oil blowout that's over a month old. One Dem Senator, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, is introducing legislation that would change the current limit on liability from a measly $75 million to an unrestricted amount. Good for him. Maybe knowing that each day wasted on stopping this disaster will cost them dearly will concentrate the minds at BP.
It's also discouraging that the Obama Administration, while having responded quickly with Coast Guard and other Federal resources, seems paralyzed and unable to get BP moving more effectively. The Feds, of course, don't have the technology that the big oil companies have to potentially cap the deep-water blowout, but questions are being raised about the lack of urgency in preventing the oil from reaching the marshes and beaches along the coast. One problems seems to be Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who hasn't been at all impressive either in terms of crisis management and communication, or in terms of his management of the dysfunctional Minerals Management Service, which is rife with problems, most of which he admittedly inherited. Will his be the first head to roll? Stay tuned.
