Let science guide oil drilling
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns after an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 Credit: AP
The departure of Carol Browner, the top White House energy and climate aide, and a key figure in the federal response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, must not slow implementation of a special commission's proposals to prevent a recurrence.
President Barack Obama created the commission last May, soon after the April 20 explosion on BP's leased Deepwater Horizon rig that started the spill. Its key finding is that systemic industry and government shortcomings led to the calamity. Without reform, it could happen again.
The report acknowledges the importance of deepwater drilling to the economy. But it also notes the environmental harm to coastal ecosystems. To reduce that harm and improve safety, its recommendations include:
Creation of an industry-run safety institute, like the one set up after the 1979 accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
Dedication of 80 percent of the spill's Clean Water Act fines to restoring the Gulf.
Greater influence for agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over drilling leases.
Though Browner and the commission clashed, she's a strong environmental advocate who won't be there to carry out its ideas. But the administration must buy into them, making sure sound science, not just profits, governs future drilling. hN
