The relief that washed over Americans after the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico finally was capped was palpable.
With any luck, the seal will hold and BP and the federal government can get on with efforts to clean up the leaked oil. It has been humbling over these past few months to see the brightest minds in the oil business fail in one attempt after another to kill the source of the nation’s worst environmental disaster.
The business of cleaning and restoring the befouled waters and bringing back the rich fisheries in the region will be difficult. It will take meticulous planning and diligent oversight to ensure that BP does the job right.
Equally important is figuring out exactly how and why this spill occurred and devising regulations that will prevent future disasters yet still allow offshore drilling to continue.
Federal lawmakers Thursday addressed reform when a House panel approved a measure that would divide into three divisions the government agency responsible for offshore drilling regulation.The separation would inject some space and autonomy between duties with sometimes conflicting aims: permitting, inspection and revenue collection.
It’s a good move, one that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has previously pitched, and one we’ve supported.
The measure also seeks to restrict government regulators from immediately being hired by oil companies after leaving government employment. They’d have to wait two years before doing so, according to the legislation.
That also seems like a prudent move, and one that would cut down on the potential for cozy relationships between regulators and those they are supposed to police.
Federal authorities estimate that since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in April, between 90 million and 180 million gallons of oil have leaked into the sea.
Cleanup efforts could go into the fall, and perhaps beyond. We would hope to see a more effective outreach that includes local fishermen, who’ve lost their livelihoods due to the disaster, in cleaning and restoration operations. It makes sense to employ these knowledgeable locals, not only because of their familiarity with the waters, but it would give them a way to feed their families.
The next day or so will be critical in determining whether the cap on the deepwater well will hold.
We will be among the Americans keeping our fingers crossed. It’s an important step down the very long road toward recovery.
