The Deepwater Oil Spill Exposes a Persistent Failure to Plan and Failure to Lead

The 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill catalyzed the environmental movement in the US and inspired some important legislation but did not lead policymakers to take the next step and start the long process of weaning the US from its oil dependency (Photo: Unknown) President Obama is facing with the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon,  a “local” disaster that exposes a deeper, endemic crisis in US energy policy and the US economy as a whole.  As he has been in office for still just 16 months, Obama does not bear primary responsibility for this ongoing crisis but he has only recently, a couple weeks after the accident, publicly hinted at the “elephant in the room”:  the obvious connection between the undersea oil volcano and our equally obvious need to transition from using oil as our primary transport fuel.  Simple reference to the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill that encourages more offshore drilling does not constitute an answer to our oil dependence. Unfortunately public rhetoric and policy discussions that hinge on the notion of a dependence on “foreign” oil plays the role of a “shortstop” in keeping the discussion from going to the heart of the problem.

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The Deepwater Oil Spill Exposes a Persistent Failure to Plan and Failure to Lead