The legal issues are interesting, but morally I blame the radical environmentalists (who have much more political power than the oil industry, even under the Bush administrations). The safest place to drill oil is on land. The second safest is in shallow water. The most dangerous place to drill oil is in deep water. Where do we drill? In deep water.
Why? Because stupid foolish environmentalists placed so much pressure on politicians that we have outlawed vast areas with massive oil (such as huge chunks of Alaska) that could be very safely obtained (animal populations have actually increased after the Alaska pipeline was built, animals apparently liked the warmth of the pipeline). We no longer drill for new oil in shallow water (the second safest place to drill) because of environmental laws.
So out of necessity, oil companies are forced to drill in the most dangerous way possible - in deep water. Then we blame them when an accident occurs and they struggle to fix the problem. Every single environmentalist who opposes drilling on land and in shallow water is to blame for the current problem.
The current problem will be eventually resolved, but will cause many short-term hardships in the area to both people and wildlife. Next time some you are debating some wacko environmentalists (one who argues with feelings and ignores facts), blame him or her for this disaster and tell them it was their policies that caused the problem.
Category: Domestic Politics , Category: Science and Technology