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by Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON -- A visibly angered President Barack Obama hit out at oil companies Friday for trying to avoid blame over a massive slick, and vowed an all-out effort to stop the leak pouring into the Gulf of Mexico.

"I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility. The people of the Gulf Coast need our help," Obama said, as he also unveiled a review of the environmental safeguards to be put in place for oil and gas exploration.

He slammed the three oil companies linked to the Deepwater Horizon rig for seeking to pass the blame, denouncing what he called a "ridiculous spectacle" by their top officials during congressional hearings. And he also accused oil companies of enjoying a "cozy relationship" with federal agencies set up to monitor the energy sector.

Obama said he shared the "anger and frustration" of Gulf Coast residents that more than three weeks after the rig was crippled by an explosion on April 20, the oil is still spewing unchecked into the seas.

"I'm not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods," he vowed.

Earlier this week the president dispatched a team of top officials  -- including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist -- to BP's command center in Houston, Texas, to discuss efforts to contain the leak.

"What really matters is this: There's oil leaking and we need to stop it, we need to stop it as soon as possible," Obama said Friday in his statement in the Rose Garden.

"I know BP is committed to pay for the response effort. We will hold them to their obligation," Obama said.

"I have to say, though, I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter."

BP, which had leased the rig from Transocean, has pledged to pay for the cleanup efforts and all reasonable damages.

But in testifying before lawmakers this week, top executives from the two companies, as well as oil services supplier Halliburton, which carried out some vital cement work, traded accusations as to who was to blame for the accident.

"I understand that there are legal and financial issues involved, and a full investigation will tell us exactly what happened," Obama said.

"But it is pretty clear that the system failed and it failed badly. For that, there's enough responsibility to go around.

"For too long, for a decade or more, there's been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill."

Here are his full remarks:

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody. I just finished meeting with some of
my Cabinet and administration officials about the ongoing efforts to stop the BP
oil spill. And I wanted to give the American people an update on these efforts,
but I also want to underscore the seriousness and urgency of this crisis.

The potential devastation to the Gulf Coast, its
economy, and its people require us to continue our relentless efforts to stop
the leak and contain the damage. There's already been a loss of life, damage to
our coastline, to fish and wildlife, and to the livelihoods of everyone from
fishermen to restaurant and hotel owners. I saw firsthand the anger and
frustration felt by our neighbors in the Gulf. And let me tell you, it is an
anger and frustration that I share as President. And I'm not going to rest or
be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is
contained and cleaned up, and the people of the Gulf are able to go back to
their lives and their livelihoods.

Now, the most important order of
business is to stop the leak. I know there have been varying reports over the
last few days about how large the leak is, but since no one can get down there
in person, we know there is a level of uncertainty. But as Admiral Thad Allen
said today, our mobilization and response efforts have always been geared toward
the possibility of a catastrophic event. And what really matters is this:
There's oil leaking and we need to stop it -- and we need to stop it as soon as
possible. With that source being 5,000 feet under the ocean's surface, this has
been extremely difficult. But scientists and engineers are currently using the
best, most advanced technology that exists to try to stop the flow of oil as
quickly as possible.

Our second task has been to
contain the spill and protect the Gulf Coast and the people who live there. We
are using every available resource to stop the oil from coming ashore. Over one
million feet of barrier boom have been deployed to hold the oil back. Hundreds
of thousands of gallons of dispersant have helped to break up the oil, and about
four million gallons of oily water have been recovered; 13,000 people have been
mobilized to protect the shoreline and its wildlife, as has the National
Guard.       

This week, we also sent to
Congress legislation that would provide us with the additional resources to
mitigate the damage caused by this spill. And I ask for prompt action on this
legislation. That would help with cleanup efforts, it would provide
unemployment assistance and job training to folks whose jobs are affected by
this crisis, and it would help with the region's economic recovery. That's why
this legislation is important.

It would also help ensure that
companies like BP that are responsible for oil spills are the ones that pay for
the harm caused by these oil spills -- not the taxpayers. This is in addition
to the low-interest loans that we've made available to small businesses that are
suffering financial losses from the spill.

Let me also say, by the way, a
word here about BP and the other companies involved in this mess. I know BP has
committed to pay for the response effort, and we will hold them to their
obligation. I have to say, though, I did not appreciate what I considered to be
a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter.  You
had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to
point the finger of blame at somebody else. The American people could not have
been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn't.  

I understand that there are legal
and financial issues involved, and a full investigation will tell us exactly
what happened. But it is pretty clear that the system failed, and it failed
badly. And for that, there is enough responsibility to go around. And all
parties should be willing to accept it.

That includes, by the way, the
federal government. For too long, for a decade or more, there has been a cozy
relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them
to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more
than assurances of safety from the oil companies. That cannot and will not
happen anymore. To borrow an old phrase, we will trust but we will verify.

Now, from the day he took office as Interior Secretary,
Ken Salazar has recognized these problems and he's worked to solve them. Oftentimes he has been slammed by the industry, suggesting that somehow these
necessary reforms would impede economic growth. Well, as I just told Ken, we
are going to keep on going to do what needs to be done.

And so I've asked Secretary
Salazar to conduct a top-to-bottom reform of the Minerals Management Service.
This week, he announced that the part of the agency which permits oil and gas
drilling and collects royalties will be separated from the part of the agency in
charge of inspecting the safety of oil rigs and platforms and enforcing the
law. That way, there's no conflict of interest, real or perceived.

We've also ordered immediate
inspections of all deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. And we've
announced that no permits for drilling new wells will go forward until the
30-day safety and environmental review that I requested is completed. We're
also closing the loophole that has allowed some oil companies to bypass some
critical environmental reviews, and today we're announcing a new examination of
the environmental procedures for oil and gas exploration and development.

Now, as I've said before, domestic
oil drilling continues to be one part of an overall energy strategy that now
includes more clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency than at any other
time in our history. But it's absolutely essential that going forward we put in
place every necessary safeguard and protection so that a tragedy like this oil
spill does not happen again. This is a responsibility that all of us share --
the oil companies share it; the manufacturers of this equipment share it; the
agencies in the federal government in charge of oversight share that
responsibility. I will not tolerate more finger pointing or irresponsibility.

The people of the Gulf Coast need
our help, and they deserve nothing less than for us to stand up and do whatever
is necessary to stop this spill, prevent further damage, and compensate all
those who've been harmed already. That's our job.

It's also our job to make sure
this kind of mess doesn't happen again. It's a job we've been doing. It's a
job we will keep doing until the well is capped and the spill is cleaned up, and
all claims are paid.

Thank you very
much.

Related Links:

BP chief says catastrophic oil spill really not all that big

Brits are aghast at us Yankee “greens”

Spill-rate lowballing reflects badly on government cleanup oversight

by Jonathan Hiskes

U.K. farm owner, "eco-dwelling" builder, and Grist reader JRWoodman offers some perspective on the apparently greenish
platform of the new Conservative-LibDem coalition government:

The UK's Conservative party springs out of the old families
that lived in stately homes in the countryside and enjoyed country pursuits. To
this day if you look at an electoral map of the UK's parliamentary
constituencies you find that virtually all the blue (Conservative) areas are in
the countryside while the left wing's constituency is centered in essentially
the urban areas. When you live in such a
'green and pleasant land' it's not surprising that concern for the environment
is a higher priority for the right than the left (with a few exceptions).

To pick up on the 2 comments so far, here
in the UK our view of the 'American way' and your general lack of concern for
the environment shocks many of us. I
even find myself on occasions laughing at some of the supposedly green
viewpoints on Grist which most UK Greens would consider approaching
environmental profligacy, though we're probably too polite to say (I'm thinking
in particularly of such things as electric and hydrogen powered cars).

I suppose it's all relative. When the average American citizen's carbon
footprint (20 tons+) is double that of their average European counterpart, I
suppose it's not surprising that our viewpoints so differ. Be aware, though we
in Europe have a long way to go, your journey will be that much harder.

Meanwhile, new Prime
Minister David Cameron says he wants to lead "the greenest government ever."

 

Related Links:

Obama takes aim at oil companies over slick

Poll results on energy, climate, and offshore drilling are all over the map

Library offers plug-in home energy monitors