About a month ago the National Incident Commander, Thad Allen, had issued an order granting the media complete access to the areas affected by the BP oil spill.
Thirty days later the U.S. Coast Guard has issued a new order that states that all vessels cannot come within 65 feet of any containment operation in the Gulf. This includes booming operations; any in place booms, or oil spill response operations. Any one who does could face a $40,000 fine and possibly up to five years in prison. Ironically the rule does not extend to anyone that BP has hired for PR, or any hired reporters BP decides to bring to any of these operations for a close up view. CNN’s Anderson Cooper describes the new rules as making it “very easy to hide incompetence or failure”, and as banning reporters from “anywhere we need to be.” By placing restrictions on the media the Coast Guard has basically conceded the reach BP has over them. The Coast Guard has been severely taxed over this mission, and I can understand their desire to enforce what they perceive to be a safety issue on the seas, and it should be directed to the general public zipping around these sites by motorboat. But, the public is dependent on multiple media points of view, and by restraining the media from doing it’s job, it takes away the opportunity to inform the public, and shape public policy. What is becoming clearer is that our government is not doing its job in protecting the public and our country’s natural resources. The government needs to reverse the Coast Guard immediately. Otherwise it seems that BP is calling the shots here. BP obviously does not want the continual scrutiny the media has brought to bear upon them over the spill. It is our right to be informed, and First Amendment rights cannot be set aside for the sake of an oil company.
Photo: Coast Guard clean up as first tar balls hit Texas
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