Will the Feds Take Over Oil Spill Response ?

HuffPost's Peter Daou asks why isn't our outrage equal to the Gulf oil spill: "President Obama can launch as many fact-finding commissions as he sees fit. But we shouldn't be impressed that they are doing what we elected them to do - it's their job to deal with emergencies promptly and effectively. Far more is called for in this uniquely cataclysmic circumstance: a level of outrage, alarm, intensity and focus worthy of the size and scope of the spill ... Offense, not defense."

Gov. Bobby Jindal and other LA officials ramp up pressure on feds. McClatchy: "At question is an emergency permit applied for by Louisiana to protect its coastline, a request that includes dredging sediment to create barrier islands between oil and wetlands. Louisiana's emergency proposal was denied on Saturday by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is unsure of the environmental impact of emergency barriers ... While Jindal attempted to remain diplomatic on Sunday, his political boat-mate, [Plaquemines Parish President Billy] Nungesser, was not. Nungesser told reporters that his parish has had a plan in place for several weeks to protect its ecology but homegrown methods of protection have been denied. 'They are bureaucrats made to stand in the way and question things to death,' Nungesser said. 'That's how they justify their jobs. Fire all those guys and let's just do the right thing.'"

Interior Sec. raises prospect of federal takeover of spill response. The Hill: "'If we find that they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing, we'll push them out of the way appropriately ...' Salazar added. Salazar said that BP is 'throwing everything they can' at the problem. 'Do I have confidence that they know exactly what they're doing? No, not completely,' Salazar said, adding that's why the Energy Department, NASA and other officials are involved in the effort to contain the pollution and block the gushing well 5,000 feet under the ocean surface."

But Coast Guard says only BP has the expertise. McClatchy: "The comments by Adm. Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard, signaled that the U.S. government wouldn't take a larger role in stopping the five-week-old spill even as frustration in the Gulf coast grows over the Obama administration's policy of letting BP run the cleanup."

More coastal drilling projects approved, despite on new wells. NYT: "...since the April 20 explosion on the rig, federal regulators have granted at least 19 environmental waivers for gulf drilling projects and at least 17 drilling permits ... Department of the Interior officials said [the moratorium] t was not meant to stop permits for new work on existing drilling projects like the Deepwater Horizon. But critics say the moratorium has been violated or too narrowly defined to prevent another disaster ... However, Newfield Exploration Company has confirmed that it began drilling a deep-water well in 2,095 feet of water after April 20."

President to visit solar panel manufacturer Wednesday. W. Post: "While the government races to stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and clean up the dirty, dangerous spill, Obama will be touring an ultra-modern company that aims to reduce the nation's dependence on crude ... White House officials are betting that people will look favorably on the president's drive to invest in alternative sources of energy even more in the wake of the spill."

Sen. Bingaman slams Sen. Graham for climate bill double talk. Climate Progress: "Sen. Lindsey Graham's keeps issuing contradictory and cryptic statements on the climate bill ... He is now officially more incoherent and incomprehensible than Rand Paul and the TV series Lost..."