The last thing that any of the Gulf Coast states threatened by oil pollution need right now is window dressing. Therefore, I would assume that they are not quite sure what to make of this morning's news story, which just appeared on Al Jazeera English:
The US government has given BP, the British energy giant, a 72-hour deadline to produce improved plans on containing its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The deadline, stated in an official letter dated Tuesday, comes almost two months after a BP rig in the area collapsed, causing the worst man-made environmental disaster in US history.
"BP shall provide the plans for these parallel, continuous, and contingency collection processes, including an implementation timeline, within 72 hours of receiving this letter," the note read.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson, an on-scene coordinator, has ordered the company to produce contingency planning for its "top hat" containment system and explain how it intends to recover the remaining crude and natural gas still leaking.
What is missing, of course, is any statement of what will happen if BP fails to comply with these "orders." I appreciate the level of pressure under which the Obama Administration must be laboring, but is this the time to speak loudly with only a small stick for enforcement?
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