Obama vows tighter scrutiny of drilling

May 15, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Declaring himself as angry as the rest of the nation, President Barack Obama assailed oil drillers and his own administration Friday as he ordered extra scrutiny of drilling permits to head off any repeat of the sickening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Engineers worked desperately to stop the leak that’s belching out at least 210,000 gallons of crude a day.

As Louisiana wildlife officials reported huge tar balls littering a beach, BP PLC technicians labored to accomplish an engineering feat a mile below the water surface. They were gingerly moving joysticks to guide deep-sea robots and thread a mile-long, 6-inch tube with a rubber stopper into the 21-inch pipe gushing oil from the ocean floor.

It’s the latest scheme to stop the flow after all others have failed, more than three weeks since the oil-rig blast that killed 11 workers and set off the disastrous leak.

Obama, whose comments until now have been measured, heatedly condemned a “ridiculous spectacle” of oil executives shifting blame in congressional hearings and denounced a “cozy relationship” between their companies and the federal government.

“I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by members of his Cabinet.

“The system failed, and it failed badly. And for that, there is enough responsibility to go around. And all parties should be willing to accept it,” the president said.

Obama’s tone was a departure from the deliberate approach and mild chiding that had characterized his response since the huge rig went up in flames April 20 and later sank 5,000 feet to the ocean floor. Then came the leaking crude, the endangered wildlife, the livelihoods of fishermen at risk.

Obama announced that the Interior Department would review whether the Minerals Management Service is following all environmental laws before issuing permits for offshore oil and gas development. BP’s drilling operation at Deepwater Horizon received a “categorical exclusion,” which allows for expedited oil and gas drilling without the detailed environmental review that normally is required.