Beware Can't-Fail 'Plans' And Incompetent 'Regulators'

Take a look at these ridiculous oil spill crisis management plans (sic) submitted cookie-cutter style by the five biggest oil giants.

Basically, they lay out that there is no worst-case spill response scheme in the plans - - so the plans are fake.

Just big documents in folders, with sign-offs by fake government regulators.

Keep this in mind the next time you hear that private interests or governments are working hard on Environmental Impact Statements EIS's) or other contingency efforts that will prevent or minimize environmental consequences.

What's needed in these efforts - - whether the issue is oil drilling in the Arctic, or logging in national forests, or diverting water from Lake Michigan - - are genuine participatory roles for citizen watchdog groups and independent analysts handling key studies.

Because the resources being tapped, mined, piped or otherwise exploited are owned by the public, held in trust for future generations - - like the planet itself we should stewarding, not polluting and otherwise defiling.

Without meaningful check-and-balances, there is and will continue to be too much planning power in the hands of special interests, with all their inherent selfish, greed-driven conflicts, as well too much authority exercised by government agencies that are too lazy or too close to the businesses to be honest and effective regulators.