Newsweek has done a close reading of B.P.’s plan to contain oil spills should they occur in the Gulf Coast, a strategy outlined in a report approved by the Minerals Management Service last year. As you may have guessed, judging by the reaction to an actual oil spill in the Gulf, its emergency-response preparations are lacking, to say the least. According to Newsweek, “The plan mentions the need to protect walruses, sea lions, sea otters, and seals—all animals that do not actually exist in the gulf. This suggests that at least parts of the gulf plan could have been cut-and-pasted from response plans for other regions, like Alaska.”
The report, which includes little information about how to attend to deep-sea spills and is riddled with broken hyperlinks. Overall, the strategy report does not exhibit “much serious thought,” according to the magazine. Skeptics, do not take Newsweek’s word for it. The 583-page document is available online, for free, and this weekend’s a long one!
The Otters And Seals
Well, clearly, those parts of the plan appear to be working. I haven’t heard of a single walrus or polar bear being hurt by this spill.
I just love hunting polar bears and walri from a helicopter.