Some thoughts on the new United States Oil Drilling Policy
"Drill Baby Drill" was first heard at the Republican National Convention in 2008. Now President Obama has announced that he too is open to expanding the drilling that we do off the United States coastline and in Alaska. This drilling should ease our dependence on the importation of foreign oil. This is a good thing but without massive Federal Government oversight there will be a problem. The recent mining explosion at The Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia in which something like 30 miners were killed. The owners of The Upper Big Branch Mine Massey Energy Company do not have a good record of safety at there mines and have been called a Union Busting company at there non union mines. Part of the problem of the safety issues have be due to the gutting of regulations during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration. So if we are going to "Drill Baby Drill" it can only be done if that massive government oversight I mentioned is incorporated into any drilling contracts with very stern penalties for accidents that may occur I don’t want to happen what happen when a jury imposed a large fine on Exxon after The Exxon Valdez Oil spill then have that fine gutted in various courts. Yes I to want the United States to award contracts for the drilling off our shores and in Alaska but I want a clause included in those contracts that stipulates something along the lines of "If a drop of oil spreads into a coastline or causes the killing of aquatic life due to negligence all of the companies assets will be held until the entire spill is cleaned to the satisfaction of the EPA the cost of this cleanup will be paid for entirely by that company and non of it will be allowed to be claimed as a tax deduction. Simply put I want the EPA and any other Federal agency responsible for oversight on the drilling operations to be looking over the shoulders of the operation every minute form start to finish without this oversight accidents such as The Upper Big Branch Mine will become the norm rather than the exception.