Why Did The U.S. Refuse International Help on The Gulf Oil Spill?

[daa]

snip:

By Dian L. Chu, Economic Forecasts & Opinions

Despite the vow by President Obama to keep the Gulf oil spill a top priority until the damage is cleaned up, 50 days after the BP rig exploded, a definitive date and meaningful solution is yet to be determined for the worst oil spill in the U.S. history.

So, you would think if someone is willing to handle the clean-up with equipment and technology not available in the U.S., and finishes the job in shorter time than the current estimate, the U.S. should jump on the offer.

But it turned out to be quite the opposite. .

U.S. Refused Help on Oil Spill

According to Foreign Policy, thirteen entities had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion. They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.

http://dianchu.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-did-us-refuse-international-help-on.html

[sandnsea]

1. Actually 17 countries offered assistance

And actually BP and the US said they would take the help when it was needed since much of it was booms and dispersants, which were in surplus at the time. Since then, I know that booms have been accepted from Mexico and probably other countries as well by now, and a skimmer tanker has been accepted from Norway. San Francisco donated some of the booms held in reserve for the bay too. I'm sure booms have come from many places.

It is sick the way the people at this site will go out of their way to jump on negative shit just to feed their own "everybody sucks but me" agenda.

[daa]

4. You're kidding right???????

[Arctic Dave]

2. "Pride goeth before the fall".

Super powers don't need help from no peon countries.

[Dont TS Me Brah]

7. unfortunately...

that's how it looks.

[gateley]

3. Maybe it's just as the Coast Guard stated:

"..While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future."

At the time they were still assessing and felt they were doing all that could be done (and this was before the level of BP's duplicity became apparent). I'm hoping they HAVE reassessed and requested help from some of those governments. As the reality of the extent of this grows daily, they could be getting help from wherever they can. I think they realize we're way past the point of "we've got it covered".

We need an update.

[KamaAina]

5. Same reason we refused international help after Katrina

whatever that was. :eyes:

[City Lights]

6. BP's got everything under control.

Supposedly.

[Spazito]

8. Canada is sending 3000 metres of oil boom down upon the request of...

the US government and we have already provided a Dash 8 aircraft which is assisting in aerial surveillance in the spill area as well as technical and scientific support so this article is incorrect as far as it relates to Canada:

The Canadian Coast Guard will send at least 3,000 metres of oil boom to help with cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea announced Sunday.

Shea said Canada had extended an open offer to help with recovery efforts since the spill began in April. The United States made a specific request for offshore oil boom on Friday.

The shipment represents about half the federal government's supply of offshore boom, Shea told a news conference in Dartmouth, N.S.

snip

A Canadian marine aerial reconnaissance team is also in the area and experts from the Nova Scotia-based Centre for Offshore Oil and Gas Environmental Research are advising on the effectiveness of cleanup operations.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/06/06/ns-canadian-boom-helps-gulf-cleanup.html#ixzz0qNlpa3CP

[dgibby]

9. Because, as a country,

we are arrogant and view the rest of the world with condescension and disdain. It's what makes people want to kill us.