Thing #5

I recently received a feed from the ny times discussing the events that led up to the blunders in the gulf oil disaster. In reading through the article, regulation and which governmental agency is responsible for overseeing the conditions of the equipment used in drilling. The United States Chemical Safety Board is the agency that checks, regulates, and fines the companies when they are not in compliance with regulations. In the report, the safety board investigated an BP explosion on March 23, 2005 that killed 15 workers and injured another 170 workers. The government agency sited over 300 safety violations and 21 million dollars in fines were paid. Prior to the accident BP had little history of violations. This reactionary, not proactive approach to regulation is not producing successful results. Our presidential administration must look at revamping or extending the ability of US Chemical Safety Board to regulate this industry with greater effectiveness.