BP Oil Leak
Check this excerpt from CNN.
The Obama administration announced Thursday that it has ordered BP to release all data related to the massive spill, including environmental sampling analyses, internal investigation reports and details of the cleanup effort. In a letter to BP Group CEO Tony Hayward, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson told BP to post that information on a website and update it daily
BP: Oil leak could be stopped by next week - CNN.com
I think there are a few points to make about this. It sickens me that all of the news is about how much damage this is doing to the environment. While the photographs I’ve seen of that are terrible, this rig explosion cost the lives of eleven men. Just something to think about.
Now to my knowledge, based on what I’ve read about this demand, there has been no subpoena produced, nor is there an EPA tactical team waiting to kick down door in corporate offices to serve any type of warrant. Both may exist and if they do, then this post is an environmentally unfriendly waste of electrons.
However, it appears that Secretary Napolitano feels that by nature of her position in the cabinet, she has some authority to demand a private entity produce internal documents without without any review. It may be that regulatory rules are in place that require these documents to be produced. If so, they should be reviewed.
What type of government is it that can make this demand of a private entity with no due process?
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