President Obama is taking the correct action in requesting a cost share increase to the offshore oil companies for inspecting offshore facilities
Currently the federal government only inspectes offshore facilities 1 time per year
The agency calls the offshore facility 7 days in advance to notify them of their annual visit
This has been an unethical practice since its inception
Federal inspectors need to make SUPRISE visits on a QUARTERLY basis every 90 days
I can attest to this need , i worked as a Regulatory & Compliance Inspector for the offshore facilities and i can attest to the need to check on the actions of the field personnel
The biggest problem lays in the non compliance by the field employees taking short cuts which endanger the personnel and the environment
The oil companies do not want any more rules and regulations to impeed their profits
I do agree that there are enough rules and regulations for the offshore oil companies to deal with
The need is for government to ensure that the offshore personnel are in FULL COMPLIANCE with the existing rules and regulations in place
