The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment

Chapter 14: Response to the Gulf Oil Spill

213 Chapter 14 Response to the Gulf Oil Spill Matthew A. Williams Brian Richard The Spill Directly following an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010 substantial quantities of oil began to flow from a partially drilled well on the Gulf of Mexico’s seafloor. Following the initial days of the Gulf oil spill (or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill), political debate centered on questions over who should take the lead in the short- and long-term response and clean-up efforts. It was obvious British Petroleum (BP), the owner of the rig, and the private sector in general, were better equipped than the federal government to deal with the immediate technological necessities for repairing the ruptured underwater pipeline. Public opinion, however, was divided over whether the government or BP should take the lead. President Barack Obama allowed BP to take the lead but eventually established roles for the federal government, including the transfer of federal oversight to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), placing Adm. Thad Allen in charge. Allen has since resigned the post. The Gulf oil spill could hardly have occurred at a worse time for the president or the country, which was dealing with a bewildering array of domestic and foreign policy challenges and embroiled in two overseas conflicts—Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover , the manmade disaster was made worse because there was no easy or obvious solution either politically or in terms of plugging the leak. There were—and remain—important implications 214 / The Obama Presidency of the leak on the nation’s oil supply, the future of drilling and alternative energy, the ecosystems of the entire Gulf, and the economic viability of the region. But there also were ramifications on national politics and Obama’s public approval. The press, public, and scholars are still trying to make sense of the spill and the president’s handling of it. There are parallels to and lessons from presidential responses to other oil spills and disasters. However, initially, it appears that the federal government relinquished disproportionate levels of control to the private sector relative to the limited accountability mechanisms for the immediate response and clean-up efforts following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Moreover, increased federal involvement and oversight, converse to what had been implemented in previous comparable situations, was necessary in the direct aftermath of the spill. This spill was unlike any other in the country’s history in that oil continued to flow for several months. As such, unfamiliar scenarios require stricter mechanisms of federal accountability and involvement, as the American public will invariably look to the government for resolutions when none seem to be present. Also, because this spill was ongoing, it required heightened and continuous executive-level attention. Ultimately, the Obama administration ’s failure to recognize the complexity of the Deepwater spill early on slowed and complicated response and recovery efforts. Responses to disasters vary based on the type of disaster. Generally, disasters are man-made or natural, but oil spills are considered anthropogenic or natural environmental disasters (Enzler 2006). A man-made or technological disaster generally contains an intentional or accidental failure of a man-made system or technology. A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard, such as a hurricane or tornado, which affects the natural environment and leads to losses on the economic or human level. Oil spills are difficult to define by type because causes differ from situation to situation, hence the overarching complexity in establishing accountability—be it public or private—in the aftermath. It is clear, however, the Deepwater event was a result of a failed man-made containment system by BP and a failure of federal regulators and regulations. With the Deepwater event, the Obama administration was faced with a gradual disaster caused by a failed man-made system and made worse by poor decision making. Although the failures of BP—in deepwater drilling technology and engineering as well as in safety systems and leadership—have been widely discussed, Response to the Gulf Oil Spill / 215 there is also a role for the federal government. The American public rightly needs and demands accountability for the handling of situations that have a potential effect on a wide population of citizens. Whether or not the private sector is to blame or is better equipped to handle the situation can be debated, but the limits of federal regulations and decisions on safety...