A Plan For the Gulf

In the editorial I read, the author describes how president Obama plans to deal with the aftermath of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast. The author goes on to say that president Obama deligated the plans to save the coast to the Navy's Secretary, Ray Mabus.

In Mabus's solution to the oil spill, he expresses two main recommendations that he has. Congress needs to create a Gulf Coast Recovery Council comprised of federal, state and local leaders to coordinate the over all repairs needed to mend the damage to the environment and to public health. Also that Congress should amend the law to ensure that a large portion of the fines owed by BP and others are spent towards recovery of the coast.

The Author feels that Congress lacks the ability to commence and complete the ideas expressed in Mabus's report. He has good reason to believe the way he does. Congress still hasn't held up on their promises for post-Katrina. Many problems that Congress aimed to change such as industrial development and levee building that starves the wetlands have not been altered.

President Obama is expected to create a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force led by Lisa Jackson (the head of the EPA). But in order for this to all happen, Congress needs to fully and finally commit to a long-term recovery program. According to the author, the best idea would be to create a council empowered by congress that is free of any financial and political favor.

Since this editorial is targeted at everyone who is effected by the oil spill, I strongly think that the author is putting the pressure on us to make sure that Congress does everything it can to restore our coast.