(WMR) -- WMR
has learned from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sources that
President Obama has avoided taking responsibility for the oil disaster in the
Gulf of Mexico because he would rather have BP "own" the disaster
than his administration.
Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen is to retire at
the end of this month. He was named as national incident commander for the oil
spill and President Obama has stated that Allen will continue in his position
after he retires. However, WMR's sources in FEMA report that Allen has been in
post-retirement employment discussions with BP. Under his watch, the Coast
Guard has been accused of shilling for BP's public relations efforts, including
having armed Coast Guard personnel chase away a CBS camera crew from
filming the oil spill's effects in Louisiana and claiming that tests
of oil tar balls in Florida have not come from the Deepwater Horizon
disaster.
The oil spewing from the Mocondo Prospect in the Mississippi
Canyon Block is estimated to contain about 3 billion barrels of oil but there
are some indications that it may contain as much as 10 billion barrels.
President Obama recently indicated that the federal
government may take over efforts to stop the oil leak from BP. Obama is
actually required by federal law, the Clean Water Act of 1972, to bring
criminal charges against companies that commit environmental
crimes. Obama's failure to take control of the oil disaster from BP leaves
Obama open to criminal and civil charges from affected parties. What most
incenses those in the Gulf who are trying to deal with the magnitude of the
disaster is Obama's failure to order the U.S. military to take immediate
action, including the call up of National Guard and other resources.
The Obama administration is also faulted for failing to send
medical teams to coastal Louisiana to treat residents in towns, like Grand
Isle, who are falling sick from the effects of the toxic oil fumes. There
are reports of people experiencing dizziness and nausea.
WMR has also been informed that BP and Halliburton have
hired foreign nationals for oil clean-up efforts, passing over local coastal
residents whose jobs in the fishing and shrimping industry have been idled by
the oil spill.
FEMA points out that its resources to deal with the oil
disaster are limited due to lack of material and equipment. FEMA points out
that when it was placed under the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following
9/11, FEMA directors Joseph Allbaugh and Michael Brown, and DHS secretaries Tom
Ridge and Michael Chertoff, inked lucrative contracts with security
companies that provided worthless junk. FEMA paid the price for not having the
capabilities to deal with a major event like the present oil disaster in
the Gulf.
Previously
published in the Wayne
Madsen Report.
Copyright � 2010 WayneMadenReport.com
Wayne
Madsen is a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist and
nationally-distributed columnist. He is the editor and publisher of the Wayne Madsen Report
(subscription required).