Rhetoric gushes; more action needed

By The Gazette Editorial Board

It's been nearly two months since BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

Two months and the well, nearly a mile below the ocean's surface, still is spewing millions of gallons of oil each day into the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists and company engineers continue to struggle to stop the flow and contain its disastrous environmental and economic impact.

Congressional leaders are investigating what Henry Waxman, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce chairman, called BP's “astonishing complacency” before the explosion. Gulf Coast residents are fearful for their communities and their livelihoods.

But there was little outrage in President Barack Obama's Tuesday address to the nation, and little clarity on accountability.

Obama said it himself in the remarks provided by the White House:

“For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. ... Time and again, the path forward has been blocked not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.”

Instead, Obama gave mostly more of the same - a litany of vague commitments and questions that he'd like answered. The Gulf Coast situation demands much more.

It demands, of course, an actionable plan to mitigate the ongoing disaster and its effects ASAP.

It also demands a clear condemnation of BP's negligence and follow-through on the commitment to hold accountable the people who enabled the catastrophe.

It demands swift, equitable compensation for the people, communities and wild areas that have been heavily damaged.

It demands a hard look at the practice of deep-water drilling and thorough accounting of other operations' readiness to respond to similar situations.

It demands punishment for those whose negligence - including government regulators - got us here and a president and Congress who will doggedly make sure those demands are met.

The AP incident is the most significant modern-day environmental catastrophe of its kind. The American people need more than rhetoric.

We need more information and more consistent information about who is in charge of the cleanup and what's actually being done to fix the problem, mitigate its effects and make sure it doesn't happen again.

We also need a clearer understanding of why BP and government agencies have been so unprepared to adequately respond to the oil spill.

Obama had an opportunity Tuesday to show the American people he has command of the crisis and a commitment to change. He didn't convince us.

Yes, on Wednesday, the president pulled some financial commitments from BP. Good. But oil still gushes and finding a fix must be the top priority.