by slinkerwink
Yesterday, there was a diary that said that the government couldn't have direct involvement in the oil spill. Update 5 9:37 PM CDT With kudos to Patriot News Daily Clearinghouse for posting the link on its diary (which is well-written and a good addition to the information I've posted), we see this info via Thad Allen, who's in charge of the federal government response. It appears that the government isn't just posturing. It's legally not permitted to clean up. Congress "fixed" the law after the Exxon Valdez spill. The government is overseeing the cleanup and response, but the official responsible for the oversight said he understands the discontent. .... As simple as it may seem, the law prevents the government from just taking over, Allen said. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, Congress dictated that oil companies be responsible for dealing with major accidents — including paying for all cleanup — with oversight by federal agencies. Not so. This line of argument is false, as shown below the jumpby those knowledgeableof the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
continued at Daily Kos....
