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| Florida Panhandle County Takes Oil Matters Into Its Own Hands |
| 2010-06-19 |
| A Florida Panhandle community that's been victimized by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico says it can fight the destruction of its beaches and waterways better than the federal government -- but it's left with one problem: "Who will pay the bill? Now that tar balls are washing ashore along the beaches of Okaloosa Island, county commissioners say it's time to stop waiting for the federal government's Unified Command Center to approve closing its East Pass -- the area leading to the docks of the profitable fishing village in the town of Destin. "Over the last 50 days," Okaloosa County Commissioner Chairman Wayne Harris told FoxNews.com, "I like to say we played the game, if you will. We did what we were required to do, which was wait for all the permitting processes and wait for all the permission .... "Over that period of time, it was obvious to us that somebody in those levels were not communicating with each other." Frustration started when the county devised a $9 million plan to implement an extensive boom system of barges and air curtains to close off all inlets and bayous from incoming oil. But the government rejected that proposal and began reducing the number of areas a system would protect. That, Harris says, is when the county decided to take matters into its own hands. "We were getting the bureaucratic shuffle," he said. "We couldn't wait for the bureaucratic process. We could not wait for indecisiveness. "This is our county, and our people depend on us to make decisions." John Ward, public information officer for the Unified Command Center in Mobile, Ala., says a 14,000-foot boom system is being placed in nearby Choctawhatchee Bay this week. But Okaloosa has already begun preparing to install its own boom system at East Pass, which also is combating an erosion problem. For now, Harris says, the county is using credit cards to pay the tab. He says the county has a limited reserve fund that can cover just one month of the cost of the system. "Now they're letting us do what we want to do," he said. "The dilemma is, doing what we want to do ... we've stood the chance of not getting reimbursed." And Okaloosa isn't alone in its decision to go it alone. "A lot of counties are going beyond what the Unified Command Center is doing ... A lot of people are concerned about their counties," Ward says. Harris says Okaloosa will file a claim with BP for the cost of its boom system, but it also hopes to use some of a $25 million grant BP has given the state of Florida to help pay for costs like $16,500 for the use of an air curtain each day and $850,000 each month for six barges. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Of course, they are already trying to take advantage of the crisis, never letting one go to waste. Gulf spill could swing Obama's power play on energy policy $7/gal gas, here we come. President Obama has a solution to the Gulf oil spill: $7-a-gallon gas. That's a Harvard University study's estimate of the per-gallon price of the president's global-warming agenda. And Obama made clear this week that this agenda is a part of his plan for addressing the Gulf mess. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-06-19 08:59 |
| #6 Our a competent President could have waived a lot of law and regulations for the duration of the crisis and facilitate the solution instead of adding to the crisis. Of course, they are already trying to take advantage of the crisis, never letting one go to waste. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-06-19 08:45 |
| #5 There is a major element of risk aversion in play. If a bureaucrat does something that is not specified in the binder on his shelf, and it doesn't work or someone (anyone) has a problem with it, that bureaucrat could be held accountable, but as long as he sticks to the manual he has perfect defense. Judgement is not allowed. (This is the same logic that cost Germany the D-Day invasion.) In their defense, this is a key reason spill plans are supposed to be so detailed - but they were not. If the plans had laid out the authorization, method, contractors and environmental impact of closing the pass it would have been approved immediately. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-06-19 08:09 |
| #4 It's the decades of accumulated legislative and regulatory deadwood that is exposed in a time of crisis. In time of crisis, companies must fire the deadwood and streamline operations to survive. The national government and economy is no different. Dump 90% of the accumulated laws, regulations and bureaucracy to reduce the anchor that is dragging down American's productivity as well as stifling personal interaction and fostering a sense of animosity instead of a sense of community. Americans are more than capable of choosing the correct and moral path and punishing those that do not without some amoral taxpayer supported seat warmer telling them what to do at every step. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-06-19 07:47 |
| #3 My impression is that the maliciousness, which is there, is outweighed by the incompetence. Even were they not malicious, I don't think the result would be any different, because they simply don't know what they have to do. The president collects stars to ornament his administration -- PhDs, Nobel and other prize winners, people with impressive resumes. But there's a reason such people have lab technicians and administrative assistants: those are the people who know how to get things done, while the great men and women are thinking their deep thoughts. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-06-19 07:29 |
| #2 The Obama administration is worse than incompetent, it is malicious. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-06-19 02:58 |
| #1 So now you sort of know how the little people feel about getting permits. Sort of like a mix of extortion, sadism and bureaucratic pinheadedness. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-06-19 00:53 |