White House Lowballed BP Oil Damage

Embarrassing but not surprising. A panel appointed by President Barack Obama found that the White House blocked efforts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to get up to date information on the Deep Horizon oil spill. The findings of the report are not surprising. After the Obama announced there was no more oil in the water there were eyewitness reports of oil sightings. At one point the White House told the public 210,000 gallons of oil was being released per day from the spill. The Coast Guard was operating under the assumption that the spill was releasing 2.7 million to 4.6 million gallons per day. This information was kept from the public. The White House is now denying its own commissioned report.

"I would very much doubt that anyone would put restrictions on NOAA's ability to articulate factual information," said Jerry Miller, head of the White House science office's ocean subcommittee.

Sen. Bill Nelson has long been an opponent of offshore drilling. Nelson expressed his dissatisfaction to St. Petersburg Times editorial board.

“It’s inexcusable,” Nelson said during a visit to the St. Petersburg Times editorial board Thursday.

Nelson was publicly critical of President Obama's plan to allow offshore drilling on the Eastern Gulf.

"No drilling off Florida, period," Nelson said in a press release.

BP and PACs set up by the energy company contributed $2.89 million to Obama's presidential campaign. To say that the White House's refusal to release accurate information to the public on the extent of the spill has nothing to do with BP America's campaign contributions is naivette.