Thursday, May 13, 2010

Dealing with Bureaucracy

I called another scientist at the EPA this morning. She said, "It's not her job. Her lab works with pesticides." "I don't have the authority to talk about the spill." "There's an EPA administrator at the spill now." This conversation took place in EPA's Dept of Microbiology where news of microbes can help in cleaning oil and toxins. She was familiar with it, but her lab works with pesticides.

If it's not a scientist's job to do whatever can be done to clean the spill, whose is it?

If she doesn't have the authority, who does? We spoke heart-to-heart about our sharing the same planet. She too was concerned for her children but felt her hands were tied in that Management wouldn't authorize her to work outside her capacity.

I suggested she place as much pressure on Management as possible to work on the spill. It is our/their number 1 priority. I/we should expect that from our Environmental Agency. I also suggested her reaching out to fellow colleagues by making one phone call today and urging whatever can be done, focusing on the spill. Let's pray she does.

I asked her for someone in Management to talk to. She gave me her Administrator's number. Will let you know how that goes.




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe they haven't stopped the gushing. K.

LarryG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LarryG said...

I was encouraged to hear that the amount of the leak has been grossly over estimated - and hope that will make cleanup go faster than anticipated.

LarryG said...

Thankfully I just read this
Reaching shore: U.S. Coast Guard officials said there is "no imminent threat of oil impacting Mississippi, Alabama or Florida" with the current projections of southeasterly winds through the week.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/13/MN6B1DEFK0.DTL#ixzz0nvHK0A1d

petra michelle; Whose role is it anyway? said...

Hi K.! I've just posted about it that since the Exxon Valdez, there has been no action nor plans. That's why we're in the mess we are.

Hi Larry! That is encouraing news!
Let's pray that's the case. I've heard news that BP has been deliberately underestimating how many tons of oil have been gushing.
The gulf is a very enclosed area and is and has affected everything living! I'm angry at BP's and Halliburton's sheer neglect!

ChaChaneen said...

Yep there are deliberate falsified newspaper stories.