Really, it's probably less the White House at fault than old, entrenched interests in government agencies. NOAA seems like a bland, helpful weather predictor to most of us, but knowledgeable oceanographers are going after it with knives because of its evident reluctance to provide full information about the oil spill.
The scientists assert that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies have been slow to investigate the magnitude of the spill and the damage it is causing in the deep ocean. They are especially concerned about getting a better handle on problems that may be occurring from large plumes of oil droplets that appear to be spreading beneath the ocean surface.
The scientists point out that in the month since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, the government has failed to make public a single test result on water from the deep ocean. And the scientists say the administration has been too reluctant to demand an accurate analysis of how many gallons of oil are flowing into the sea from the gushing oil well.
“It seems baffling that we don’t know how much oil is being spilled,” Sylvia Earle, a famed oceanographer, said Wednesday on Capitol Hill. “It seems baffling that we don’t know where the oil is in the water column.” ...NYT
Little has been done to question or verify any information about deep pollution gathered by BP. At least one agency has removed a federal grant from a oil spill expert who criticizes off-shore drilling. Can't imagine why, can you?
