http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-somerhalder/accounting-for-a-manmade-_b_850745.html

Post 7  Source 6
Summary:

One year after the worst oil spill in American history, the effects of the BP oil spill is washing ashore.  Dozens of dead baby dolphins, oyster populations are devastated, loss of jobs that were dependent on the ocean, gulf residents complain of health problems which are believe to be caused by the oil spill.  The oil from the spill washes ashore on a daily bases.

Anyone would think that a disaster of this magnitude would give cause for our country to stop and reflect on why we continue to drill in deep and treacherous waters, especially without an adequate safety net.  If the oil industry made the same investments in safety and containment, as they do in research and development then the blowout could have been avoided.

Congress is just as responsible as BP.  Congress has put in place a $75 million liability cap on offshore drilling rigs.  The American taxpayer is the ones who paid for the cleanup, not BP.  BP spent more money on public relations, then they did on reimbursement to families who lost their loved ones during the explosion, to businesses who took a financial loss from the tourist trade and for the cleanup of the oil.  They cannot compensate for the lost of wildlife to the area.  The Department of Interior is given only 30 days  to respond to applications for offshore drilling, this is not enough time to review the complicated permit applications.

"Only Congress can enact laws that safeguard Americans from oil spill polluters, and that provide needed resources to the federal government so they can properly oversee high-risk ocean drilling. Unless they take these and other important steps recommended by the President's Oil Spill Commission, our lawmakers in Congress will continue to leave you, me and our oceans defenseless."


Evaluation:


As far as I am concern, this disaster was completely avoidable. 

Congress wants to get rid of regulations, thinking that the lapse of regulations will give the economy a boost.  I disagree, at the time of the oil spill we had regulations in place, but apparently they were not enough.  Congress is to busy kissing corporations butts, that they are putting the life of our planet, therefore the lives of it's people at risk.  They need to stop worrying about what corporations want, they need to start thinking what is best for the earth and its inhabitants.

But, the fault does not only goes to Congress and BP; it goes to the people as well.  Americans are dependent on oil and we are also it's biggest consumer.  We use oil in our automobiles, buildings, planes, making clothes, paint, and plastic.  We are a disposable society, if our sock has a hole in it we throw it away, we don't try to mend it.  We don't think about hopping in the car to drive 5 blocks to the store, instead of riding our bikes or walking.  We can asked Congress to impose more regulations and laws to prevent a repeat of the BP oil spill, but the people also must take blame for what happened off the gulf coast.

However, BP should have paid for the cost of the clean up, not the American people.  If you can't afford to clean up your mess, then why are you doing it.