Summary: Organizes aspects of the disastrous BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico according to to Public Policy Cycle. This page, like the spill, is a work in progress, 6/15/2010
The BP Gulf spill clearly fits as a crisis as discussed in agenda setting. Presidents respond in different ways. Take the example of two prior spill:
White House slow to respond, then nearly two month after blow out at BP rig, President Obama gives major national speech from Oval Office. (See history of this incident.)
Several policy initiatives loom as potential agenda items:
The frustration of the ineptitude of the response to the BP Gulf spill demonstrates the limits of implementing suddenly in the face of complex challenges. The Hurricane Katrina disaster at nearby New Orleans reinforces this point. A summary New York Times article 6/15/2010, " Efforts to Repel Gulf Oil Spill Described as Chaotic," illustrates this point.
BP is, of course, responsible for its disaster and will pay billions of dollars and will endure harsh criticism for years to come. The BP Gulf spill is punished by the stock market and blemishes the already tarnished safety record of BP, obviously a British company operating globally. BP's main obligation is, however, to shareholders, not the American public. The US government, which did such a poor job regulating the facility, must play a central role. The conflict between the region's interests and the BP corporate interest must be resolved.
Note that President Obama has been reluctant to jump in or to talk to BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has publicly minimized the impact of his disaster on others. This shows how, literally, messy and complex is the implementation phase of public policy.