Federal Gulf Oil Disaster Plan

[Buffalo Roam]

In 1994, under Bill "Sick Willy" Clinton, he and the Democrats passed a response plan for a major Gulf oil spill,, funded it, set up a agency to create the department, hired people to run, train, implement, and acquire the necessary equipment, and now fast forward 16 years and where is all that equipment?

What happened to the billions of dollars authorized by Bill Clinton and the His Democrats in Congress (Congress both Houses were controlled by the Democrats, and Clinton was President) the money to buy the equipment, and train the crews, establish bases to operate from, and have the equipment standing by, what happened to al that money?

Where did it go?

Maybe like the moneys that were authorized by Democrats in Congress for the Hurricane Control levies, break waters, in Louisiana, it was skimmed into the pockets of the levee commissions, controlled by the Democrat by nepotism, passing contract that delivered nothing, used substandard materials, paid for kick back for equipment that wasn't capable of handling a category 5, because the Democrats were more worried about nepotism and getting rich than saving peoples lives and reducing the monitory from natural disasters that come on a regular schedule to the Gulf Coast, because the weather is the weather, and category 5's are always part of the weather of the Gulf.

And what a CYA, from the White House pathological liar Robert Gibbs, outlining the Bread and Circuses’ response from Obama,

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/04/30/response-oil-spill-so-far

Nothing was done for 8 days, nothing at all, and then they discovered the 1994 Disaster Plan, and then we find out, that none of the equipment was even on hand, or even bought?

Yes, typical Democrat nepotism, money for their political cronies, and hope that when thing go tits up, it happens on a Republican Presidents watch so they can play political who to fault spin games.

The Democrats passed it, 1994, they funded it 1994, they passed the money to cronies in sweetheart nepotism deals making their political buddies millions, and in 2010, we find nothing was in place to implement the Gulf Oil Disaster Spill Plan, except for a bunch of over paid Democrat patronage Bureaucrats with their thumbs up their collective asses.

Isn't it amazing, that Louisiana is the epicenter of two major disasters that were suppose to have been prepaired for by the Federal Government under Democrats for decades?

Louisiana where Democrats have made a art form out of Nepotism, Kick Backs, Political Bribes, and Skimming of Moneys from the Federal Taxpayers across America, yes, along and glorious History under Democratic Patronage.

 

[Startraveler]

In 1994, under Bill "Sick Willy" Clinton, he and the Democrats passed a response plan for a major Gulf oil spill,, funded it, set up a agency to create the department, hired people to run, train, implement, and acquire the necessary equipment, and now fast forward 16 years and where is all that equipment?

How much was allocated? What agency was involved? Who was staffing this project? You could at least point to the relevant appropriations bill, a GAO report, a contemporary news article, something.

 

[Pinwheel]

Clintons fault?

 

[sandy]

Clintons fault?

Who was president in 94? Can't blame W!

 

[Buffalo Roam]

How much was allocated? What agency was involved? Who was staffing this project? You could at least point to the relevant appropriations bill, a GAO report, a contemporary news article, something.

As usual, it will take some time to do so, as these plans were put into place and authorized over a decade ago, but if you did any reading at all, and used a little thought, you would know that the plan did and does exist, and that the Federal Government didn't take any steps to prepare for the eventual disaster, spent the money, so where is the equipment.


Ron Gouget, the man who managed the oil spill cleanup department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has blasted Obama for failure to act and implement the existing disaster plans.

Gouget revealed, NOAA had pre-approval. The whole reason behind why the plan was created was so NOAA could pull the trigger and not have to wait ten days to get permission.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...in-Gulf-disaster--92631189.html#ixzz0omFXZHI6


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...in-Gulf-disaster--92631189.html#ixzz0omFJe7ip


This is what I am chasing down now;

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...ited-too-long-in-Gulf-disaster--92631189.html


The federal government had plans in place to respond to a oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico these were included in legislation and regulations starting in 1986, 1990, 1994 and later.

NOAA had the responsability for the "In-Situ-Burn plan that was developed in 1994 to respond to this type of incident.

That 1994 plan had a burn waiver that would have let responders begin to immediately begin burning off oil without having to go through the 10 day plus federal permit process.

So did Obama implement the "In-Situ-Burn" plan?

The burn plan was not implemented because the government did not own and still doesn't any fire resistant oil booms.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

How much was allocated? What agency was involved? Who was staffing this project? You could at least point to the relevant appropriations bill, a GAO report, a contemporary news article, something.

We are finally getting some where on this;

The Plan was Funded by placing a tax on every gallon of oil pumped out of the ground in this country, 5 cents per barrel, and that money was to be used to address the costs associated with oil spills, and that fund was over a billion dollars.


The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF)
This page summarizes the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF), ... Congress created the Fund in 1986, but did not pass legislation to authorize the use of ...

http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/About_NPFC/osltf.asp - 27k

The Principal Fund
Sources of the Principal Fund
The Principal Fund of the OSLTF has several recurring and nonrecurring sources of revenue.

•Barrel Tax. The largest source of revenue has been a 5-cent-per-barrel tax, collected from the oil industry on petroleum produced in or imported to the United States. The tax was suspended in July 1993 because the Fund reached its statutory limit. It was reinstated in July 1994, when the balance declined below $1 billion, but expired at the end of 1994 because of the sunset provision in the law. The 2005 Energy Policy Act again reinstated the tax (effective April 2006).
•Transfers. A second major source of revenue has been transfers from other existing pollution funds listed above. Total transfers into the Fund since 1990 have exceeded $550 million. No additional funds remain to be transferred to the OSLTF.
•Interest. A recurring source of OSLTF revenue is the interest on the Fund principal from U.S. Treasury investments. As a result of historically low interest rates, interest income declined in 2003 and 2004, but has rebounded in recent years as Treasury rates have risen with the economic recovery. The Department of the Treasury serves as the OSLTF’s investment manager.
•Cost Recoveries. Another source is cost recoveries from responsible parties (RPs); those responsible for oil incidents are liable for costs and damages. NPFC bills RPs to recover costs expended by the Fund. As these monies are recovered, they are deposited into the Fund.
•Penalties. In addition to paying for clean-up costs, RPs may incur fines and civil penalties under OPA, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Deepwater Port Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. Penalty deposits into the OSLTF are generally between $4 million and $7 million per year.


Uses of the Principal Fund
The Principal Fund has two types of expenses.

•Claims. Any person or organization that has incurred removal costs or suffered damages due to an oil spill may submit a claim. Read More....
•Appropriations. Several Federal organizations receive annual appropriations from the OSLTF to cover certain administrative, operational, personnel, enforcement, and research and development costs. Organizations currently receiving appropriations from the Fund are:
◦Coast Guard
◦Environmental Protection Agency
◦Minerals Management Service (Department of the Interior)
◦Research and Special Programs Administration (Department of Transportation)
◦Department of the Treasury
◦Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI), and
◦Denali Commission.

 

[Startraveler]

The Plan was Funded by placing a tax on every gallon of oil pumped out of the ground in this country, 5 cents per barrel, and that money was to be used to address the costs associated with oil spills, and that fund was over a billion dollars.

And this fund is now empty because Democrats gave its contents out to political cronies?

 

[Buffalo Roam]

And this fund is now empty because Democrats gave its contents out to political cronies?

I don't know it's current state yet, but I do know that Sens. Murkowski, R Alaska, introduce legislation to raise the Oil Spill Liability Fund to $10 billion, and that the money that was in the current fund wasn't used to buy the necessary equipment, or hire the necessary people to implement the and carry out Federal Gulf Oil Disaster Plan, so where did the money go? and why wasn't the equipment bought and standing by?, and why weren't the necessary people hired, trained, ready, and standing to respond to a Gulf Oil Drilling or Spill Disaster?

And I do know that a lot of Government Bureaucrats were paid a lot of money in salaries, given big and grand sounding titles, and sat around with their thumbs up their Butts, and did nothing to implement any procedure or marshal any of the equipment, to prepare for the eventuality that this plan would have to be used.

 

[Startraveler]

I don't know it's current state yet, but I do know that Sens. Murkowski, R Alaska, introduce legislation to raise the Oil Spill Liability Fund to $10 billion, and that the money that was in the current fund wasn't used to buy the necessary equipment, or hire the necessary people to implement the and carry out Federal Gulf Oil Disaster Plan, so where did the money go? and why wasn't the equipment bought and standing by?, and why weren't the necessary people hired, trained, ready, and standing to respond to a Gulf Oil Drilling or Spill Disaster?

Those sound like questions. This sounds like unfounded speculation:

Maybe like the moneys that were authorized by Democrats in Congress for the Hurricane Control levies, break waters, in Louisiana, it was skimmed into the pockets of the levee commissions, controlled by the Democrat by nepotism, passing contract that delivered nothing, used substandard materials, paid for kick back for equipment that wasn't capable of handling a category 5, because the Democrats were more worried about nepotism and getting rich than saving peoples lives and reducing the monitory from natural disasters that come on a regular schedule to the Gulf Coast, because the weather is the weather, and category 5's are always part of the weather of the Gulf.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

Those sound like questions. This sounds like unfounded speculation:

Then tell us what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented, the moneys have been collected for decades, the plan has been passed by congress decades ago, and reauthorize time and again, so again what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented.

Why are we now having to buy equipment, and raise taxes to pay for it and the clean up, that money was already set aside for 2+ decades.

 

[Startraveler]

Then tell us what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented, the moneys have been collected for decades, the plan has been passed by congress decades ago, and reauthorize time and again, so again what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented.

You're the one that started a thread with little to no details as a pre-text for making completely unfounded accusations. Why are you demanding I do your research for you?

It would be very helpful if you would track down and post the legislation reauthorizing this plan (thomas.loc.gov) so that we can have a little perspective on what the plan is. And the appropriations bill authorizing spending on it would helpful as well so we know how much money was dedicated to it (how is the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund connected to this plan?). Will you do that?

 

[quadraphonics]

In 1994, under Bill "Sick Willy" Clinton, he and the Democrats passed a response plan for a major Gulf oil spill,.

That much is true.

, funded it, set up a agency to create the department, hired people to run, train, implement, and acquire the necessary equipment,

That part is not. The only thing that happened in 1994 is that they came up with a plan on how to respond to big oil leaks at sea. No money was ever dedicated to creating an agency, hiring staffers, buying equipment or any of that sort of thing. What exists is a piece of paper suggesting that the government should do that stuff.

What happened to the billions of dollars authorized by Bill Clinton and the His Democrats in Congress (Congress both Houses were controlled by the Democrats, and Clinton was President) the money to buy the equipment, and train the crews, establish bases to operate from, and have the equipment standing by, what happened to al that money?

There was no money. That stuff never happened.

And where's your excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan? After all, that administration was stuffed full of oil industry executives who should have understood such issues intimately even before assuming office.

 

[iceaura]

Whatever happened to whatever was supposed to have been a preparation for such disasters, happened in the past ten years.

The executive branch administration that reorganized and restructured and restaffed the Federal agencies responsible for managing such preparation, during the critical decade leading up to this disaster, has a lot to answer for.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

That much is true.

That part is not. The only thing that happened in 1994 is that they came up with a plan on how to respond to big oil leaks at sea. No money was ever dedicated to creating an agency, hiring staffers, buying equipment or any of that sort of thing. What exists is a piece of paper suggesting that the government should do that stuff.

There was no money. That stuff never happened.

And where's your excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan? After all, that administration was stuffed full of oil industry executives who should have understood such issues intimately even before assuming office.

Excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan?

Now really? where's your excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan?

President Bush isn't in office, quadraphonics, Obama is the current President in office, (or haven't you read the papers) and it is Obama who failed to implement The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

quadraphonics, they instituted a .05 cents per barrel tax on every Barrel of oil pumped out of the ground to fund the The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) plus penalty deposits into the OSLTF are generally between $4 million and $7 million per year.

So now quadraphonics how are you going to spin your way out of these facts.


http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/About_NPFC/osltf.asp - 27k

The Principal Fund
Sources of the Principal Fund
The Principal Fund of the OSLTF has several recurring and nonrecurring sources of revenue.

•Barrel Tax. The largest source of revenue has been a 5-cent-per-barrel tax, collected from the oil industry on petroleum produced in or imported to the United States. The tax was suspended in July 1993 because the Fund reached its statutory limit. It was reinstated in July 1994, when the balance declined below $1 billion, but expired at the end of 1994 because of the sunset provision in the law. The 2005 Energy Policy Act again reinstated the tax (effective April 2006).

•Transfers. A second major source of revenue has been transfers from other existing pollution funds listed above. Total transfers into the Fund since 1990 have exceeded $550 million. No additional funds remain to be transferred to the OSLTF.

•Interest. A recurring source of OSLTF revenue is the interest on the Fund principal from U.S. Treasury investments. As a result of historically low interest rates, interest income declined in 2003 and 2004, but has rebounded in recent years as Treasury rates have risen with the economic recovery. The Department of the Treasury serves as the OSLTF’s investment manager.

•Cost Recoveries. Another source is cost recoveries from responsible parties (RPs); those responsible for oil incidents are liable for costs and damages. NPFC bills RPs to recover costs expended by the Fund. As these monies are recovered, they are deposited into the Fund.

•Penalties. In addition to paying for clean-up costs, RPs may incur fines and civil penalties under OPA, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Deepwater Port Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. Penalty deposits into the OSLTF are generally between $4 million and $7 million per year.


And here is the problem and were the money went;

•Interest. A recurring source of OSLTF revenue is the interest on the Fund principal from U.S. Treasury investments. As a result of historically low interest rates, interest income declined in 2003 and 2004, but has rebounded in recent years as Treasury rates have risen with the economic recovery. The Department of the Treasury serves as the OSLTF’s investment manager.

and just as the money from the social security trust fund is tied up in U.S. government bonds that the government doesn't have the money to redeem, so to the money for the The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is tied up in Treasury Bonds that the Government doesn't have the money to pay out.

Yes the money is tied up in usless government junk bonds.

 

[iceaura]

Then tell us what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented, the moneys have been collected for decades, the plan has been passed by congress decades ago, and reauthorize time and again, so again what happened to the money, where the equipment is, why it wasn't deployed, and why the plan wasn't implemented.

Because W&Co were completely venal, utterly incompetent, amoral and shortsighted and disastrous managers of the US executive branch and the public trust.

They screwed up every single federal disaster relief, environmental protection, and regulatory body involving oil or finance - every one. The vandalized and ruined and celebrated their success.

And they were in charge during the entire time all that stuff was supposed to happen.

They screwed things up so badly that Obama couldn't fix them in 15 months even if he was the incarnation of all that was competent and righteous, which he is not.

Of course. Why else?

 

[joepistole]

Excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan?

Now really? where's your excoriation of the Bush administration for not acting on said plan?

President Bush isn't in office, quadraphonics, Obama is the current President in office, (or haven't you read the papers) and it is Obama who failed to implement The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

quadraphonics, they instituted a .05 cents per barrel tax on every Barrel of oil pumped out of the ground to fund the The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) plus penalty deposits into the OSLTF are generally between $4 million and $7 million per year.

So now quadraphonics how are you going to spin your way out of these facts.


http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/About_NPFC/osltf.asp - 27k

The Principal Fund
Sources of the Principal Fund
The Principal Fund of the OSLTF has several recurring and nonrecurring sources of revenue.

•Barrel Tax. The largest source of revenue has been a 5-cent-per-barrel tax, collected from the oil industry on petroleum produced in or imported to the United States. The tax was suspended in July 1993 because the Fund reached its statutory limit. It was reinstated in July 1994, when the balance declined below $1 billion, but expired at the end of 1994 because of the sunset provision in the law. The 2005 Energy Policy Act again reinstated the tax (effective April 2006).

•Transfers. A second major source of revenue has been transfers from other existing pollution funds listed above. Total transfers into the Fund since 1990 have exceeded $550 million. No additional funds remain to be transferred to the OSLTF.

•Interest. A recurring source of OSLTF revenue is the interest on the Fund principal from U.S. Treasury investments. As a result of historically low interest rates, interest income declined in 2003 and 2004, but has rebounded in recent years as Treasury rates have risen with the economic recovery. The Department of the Treasury serves as the OSLTF’s investment manager.

•Cost Recoveries. Another source is cost recoveries from responsible parties (RPs); those responsible for oil incidents are liable for costs and damages. NPFC bills RPs to recover costs expended by the Fund. As these monies are recovered, they are deposited into the Fund.

•Penalties. In addition to paying for clean-up costs, RPs may incur fines and civil penalties under OPA, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Deepwater Port Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. Penalty deposits into the OSLTF are generally between $4 million and $7 million per year.


And here is the problem and were the money went;

•Interest. A recurring source of OSLTF revenue is the interest on the Fund principal from U.S. Treasury investments. As a result of historically low interest rates, interest income declined in 2003 and 2004, but has rebounded in recent years as Treasury rates have risen with the economic recovery. The Department of the Treasury serves as the OSLTF’s investment manager.

and just as the money from the social security trust fund is tied up in U.S. government bonds that the government doesn't have the money to redeem, so to the money for the The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is tied up in Treasury Bonds that the Government doesn't have the money to pay out.

Yes the money is tied up in usless government junk bonds.

I find this hillarious, if not a bit sad. Obama came into office facing The Great Depression II a year ago. And Republicans were and are still trying to thwart his rescue effort at every turn. Republicans accused him of taking over the banks, taking over the auto industry, socialism, fascism for trying to save the world from an economic melt down.

They, Mr. Buffalo Roam included, opposed every effort he made to get healthcare costs under control to lower future government expenses. And now with the New Horizon Oil disaster, they want government (Obama) to take over an oil company and spend big bucks to fix the oil company's problem. Whatever happened to the deficit?

And as others have reminded you, what happened in the decade and a half after the Dems tried to create a plan? Perhaps you have not heard, Republicans (the people you voted for and have been supporting) have been calling the legislative agenda for the last 15 years in Washington. Obama has only been in office for a little over a year. And you want to blame him for stuff the Republicans failed to do in a decade and a half?

 

[Buffalo Roam]

I find this hilarious, if not a bit sad. Obama came into office facing The Great Depression II a year ago. And Republicans were and are still trying to thwart his rescue effort at every turn. Republicans accused him of taking over the banks, taking over the auto industry, socialism, fascism for trying to save the world from an economic melt down.

They, Mr. Buffalo Roam included, opposed every effort he made to get healthcare costs under control to lower future government expenses. And now with the New Horizon Oil disaster, they want government (Obama) to take over an oil company and spend big bucks to fix the oil company's problem. Whatever happened to the deficit?

And as others have reminded you, what happened in the decade and a half after the Dems tried to create a plan? Perhaps you have not heard, Republicans (the people you voted for and have been supporting) have been calling the legislative agenda for the last 15 years in Washington. Obama has only been in office for a little over a year. And you want to blame him for stuff the Republicans failed to do in a decade and a half?

What really make me sad joe, is ("do your remember") who sat in the senate on the committee, and voted for every democratic and republican spending bill that added to this depression? Sen. Barrack Obama D. Ill.

It was the Democrats who protected their friends in charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the GSEs that caused the Housing Bubble, which caused the cascades of defaults which lead to this depression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5z9lD4C2Io&annotation_id=annotation_406054&feature=iv

TheMouthPeace — September 30, 2008 — This video is an informative look at the factors that are causing our current financial and economic crisis. It discusses policy changes 13 years ago that unleashed the sub-prime mortgage-backed securities market, which accelerated prices erratically, inviting speculation and loose lending practices which were both condoned and encouraged by existing regulation and carried out by risk-blind executives and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=related

TheMouthPeace — October 05, 2008 — An informative look at who fought to prevent the subprime mortgage meltdown with tighter regulations, and who did not.

And it was the Republicans who tried to reign in the excess of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac;

S. 190: Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005
109th Congress this is a bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the Senate ("S."). A bill must be passed by both the Senate and House and then be signed by the President before it becomes law.
Bill numbers restart from 1 every two years. Each two-year cycle is called a session of Congress. This bill was created in the 109th Congress, in 2005-2006.
The titles of bills are written by the bill's sponsor and are a part of the legislation itself. GovTrack does not editorialize bill summaries.

2005-2006

Sen. Charles Hagel [R-NE]
Cosponsors:
Elizabeth Dole [R-NC]
John McCain [R-AZ]
John Sununu [R-NH]
( don't see a Democrat in sight)

and the Democrats blocked S-109 in committee with parliamentary procedures, and never allowed it out for a vote, which then allowed it to die at the end of the legislative session.

Yes, joe, it is really sad that the Democrats killed every reform effort by Republicans of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose irresponsibility caused this Depression it started with the CRA, a Carter and Democrat disaster.

ps: It has now been two years since Obama took office, with full democratic control of the Congress until just recently, and under the Democrats it has just been announced that our Governmental Debt has gone over $13,000,000,000,000+ Billion Dollar, that is $2,300,000,000,000+ dollars more than when Obama and the Democrats took office, now how many years does Obama have to be in office before He is responsible for His own spending and isn't given special dispensation by the adoring liberals from His unconscionable, exorbitant, inappropriate, spending.

 

[iceaura]

ps: It has now been two years since Obama took office, with full democratic control of the Congress until just recently,

None of your factual claims are ever accurate, but that one is kind of silly.

Obama has been in office for 15 months. There hasn't been a complete session of Congress under "full Democratic control" for many years now - even supposing the Dems were some kind of united body of political operation the way the Reps have been since '94.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

None of your factual claims are ever accurate, but that one is kind of silly.

Obama has been in office for 15 months. There hasn't been a complete session of Congress under "full Democratic control" for many years now - even supposing the Dems were some kind of united body of political operation the way the Reps have been since '94.

Split hairs all you want but, the 110th Congress ;

Senate Majority: Democratic Party

House Majority: Democratic Party

Remember the House writes the spending bills, the President only submits a Budget.

The 111th Congress.

Senate Majority: Democratic Party

House Majority: Democratic Party

Prediency: Democratis Party

 

[Buffalo Roam]

None of your factual claims are ever accurate, but that one is kind of silly.

Obama has been in office for 15 months. There hasn't been a complete session of Congress under "full Democratic control" for many years now - even supposing the Dems were some kind of united body of political operation the way the Reps have been since '94.

ice as I have posted before 15 months in office, Pbama's second year, the last Bush budget has expired, the current budget is all Democrat spending from Congress to the White House. so when are does Obama take responsability and let the Buck Stop on His desk.