Few of us are familiar with the Public Trust Doctrine and its significance to environmental reality. The broad meaning of this Doctrine that is part of governing regulations of all nations in the world is simple and direct. Earth's environment is a shared resource, and belongs to all life. In a narrower sense, the Public Trust Doctrine refers to the public use of all waterways including lake and ocean that are navigable and within the boundaries of a country.Every country protects or should protect their resources for the benefit of their nations people without causing degredation of the public environments. If every country did this our planet would achieve a sustainable environment. We have been unable or unwilling to accomplish this objective.
All ocean and ocean floor within 12 miles of the USA shorelines are part of the USA territorial boundaries, as it is for all nations. Our country has rights to all ocean floors and waters extending 200 miles from the shorelines as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). EEZ's are recognized by world traties and are the exclusive economic use og the specific ocean-boardering country. International treaties have established territorial and economic zones for all countries bordering oceans.
The BP Oil Drilling platform that exploded and collapsed about 41 miles from the Louisiana shore was erected by the Swiss company, Transocean, Ltd., as part of a program approved by the Bush Cheney Administration in 2001. Hyundai Corp built the exploration rig, for Transocean who leased the rig to BP until 2013. The US Department of Interior, under the then Secretary of the Interior, Christine Todd Whitman, sold the original oil exploration leases to BP under 1982 laws and regulations that gave the authority to the US Mineral Management Service (MMS) within the Department of the Interior. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 further empowered the Mineral Management Service to regulate the permits that they issued. Thus began the incestuous relationship between the permitted and the regulator. The Department of the Interior was and is the issuer and regulator of all oil exploration and drilling in the US ocean Exclusive Economic Zone. The MMS name has recently become the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement after recent corruption allegations.
BP purchased drilling components and devices from Cameron Industries a Texas based corporation. One hundred and twenty six workers were on board the rig when an explosion ensued and eventually sunk, killing 11 workers. The rig that reached five stories above sea level, and was like an anchored floating Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile in the Gulf of Mexico. Halliburton Corporation, now incorporated in Dubai, United arab Emirites was involved in the well cementing operations that failed along with the Cameron built fail-safe blow-out prevention devices that also failed.
How did BP obtain the right to drill and explore for oil within our country’s EEZ? The bigger question should be; “What corporations have permits for more than 4,000 oil platforms now in the Gulf of Mexico and why? When were the permits issued and to whom? What compensation has been paid to the USA for the leases that were sold and operated? What is done with all revenues received? Are these operations for the exclusive benefit of the USA? Where besides the Gulf of Mexico have oil platforms been permitted and where are they now operating? What corporations own these leases and platforms? What was paid for the ocean floor leases and when?
These questions and many other questions must be answered, and we the US public must be informed about the details of use of our country’s ocean EEZ’s extending as far as 200 miles off shore in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico oceans. Why are foreign owned corporations profiting from EEZ’s that are part of our country? Why do we allow them to profit and cause environmental disasters that poisons all fish in the very oceans that are part of the USA EEZ? Speak out, demand answers from your members of Congress, and keep agitating for answers until they become public.The blatant abuse of public waters and land must be stopped. The oceans and shores and the natural life that abounds must be preserved and protected and carefully used for sustainable purposes, not given to the highest bidder for trans-national corporate profits.
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