US allowed drilling 'without required permits'

Telegraph (UK) ^ | Friday 14 May 2010 | | By an AFP reporter in Washington

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A troubled US government agency tasked with managing oil exploration allowed BP and other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first obtaining required permits, a complaint said.

Oil spill scandal: an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, with a complaint claims the Department of Interior has approved over 300 drilling operations, three large lease sales and over 100 seismic surveys without the required permits Photo: AP

The approvals by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) included greenlighting the well drilled by the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers before burning, sinking and spewing a sea of crude into the gulf, The New York Times reported, citing federal records.

Under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the minerals agency is required to obtain permits before allowing drilling to go ahead in areas where the oil exploration could harm endangered species or marine mammals.

[cvq3842]

Needless to say, if this had happened under the Bush administration this would be making headlines in the US.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

CNBC was teasing earlier with a planned appearance and talk by our leader this morning (I think 11:45 EST ) on the Oil Spill.

[God luvs America]

Change You Can Believe In!!!

[Touch Not the Cat]

.
Would it really have made a difference?

[Cicero]

First Obama attacks the banks, while being one of the biggest recipients of their gravy and having been involved in lowering the lending standards and fighting regulation of derivatives. It’s the dirty bankers’ fault, not his.

Then he attacks Wall Street, while being one of the biggest recipients of political donations, and working hand in glove with Goldman Sachs.

Now he attacks the oil companies, and threatens to increase their taxes, and shuts down offshore exploration, while being the biggest recipient of donations from British Petroleum.

Can you say, “Chicago way”? I knew you could.

Oilman Bush’s fault? Oilman Cheney’s fault?

The article says this happened: “Under (Interior Secretary Ken) Salazar’s watch.”

[ilovesarah2012]

Who determined BP did not have the required permits? How do companies get permits? Who signs off on them? I don’t believe anything from anyone anymore.

[bestintxas]

“Needless to say, if this had happened under the Bush administration this would be making headlines in the US.”

It would read:

Bush allowed drilling ‘without required permits’

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related thread:

Obama sheltered BP's Deepwater Horizon rig from regulatory requirement

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See #9...this is getting interesting....

[God luvs America]

“The Interior Department exempted BP’s calamitous Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according to government documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely. “

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html

[Diogenesis]

Instead of regulatory requirements being fulfilled,
the $$$$$$$$$$$ went to Obama.

The $$$$$$$$$$$ went to Obama, but the MSM will never
cover it. The MSM is worse than Pravda at its worst.

[ilovesarah2012]

“Where’s the oil? Model suggests much may be gone”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100514/ap_on_sc/us_gulf_spill_where_s_the_oil

[cvq3842]

Yup.

[cvq3842]

Thanks.

[cvq3842]

Thanks.

[God luvs America]

think this has anything to do with the fact BP donated more $$$ to emperor obama than any other candidate?

[Marine_Uncle]

The irony of it. If hearings proceed, which they will. Obi’s gang will be called out over this one. The MSM will not be able to protect them.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That Minerals Management Service (MMS) may have some more secrets to be revealed...from what I heard on Kudlow .

Will be watching the news reports ....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Specifics:

U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study

********************************EXCERPT ************************************

By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Interior Department exempted BP's calamitous Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according to government documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely.

The decision by the department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) to give BP's lease at Deepwater Horizon a "categorical exclusion" from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on April 6, 2009 -- and BP's lobbying efforts just 11 days before the explosion to expand those exemptions -- show that neither federal regulators nor the company anticipated an accident of the scale of the one unfolding in the gulf.

Rethinking the rules

Now, environmentalists and some key senators are calling for a reassessment of safety requirements for offshore drilling.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who has supported offshore oil drilling in the past, said, "I suspect you're going to see an entirely different regime once people have a chance to sit back and take a look at how do we anticipate and clean up these potential environmental consequences" from drilling.

BP spokesman Toby Odone said the company's appeal for NEPA waivers in the past "was based on the spill and incident-response history in the Gulf of Mexico." Once the various investigations of the new spill have been completed, he added, "the causes of this incident can be applied to determine any changes in the regulatory regime that are required to protect the environment."