When I saw this article in today’s New York Times I couldn’t help but think I was reading a translated article from a Russian newspaper – but, in 2015. And, why not? Nearly all of the corrupt policies described within the U.S. government in this article are already common practice in Russia, especially on Sakhalin Island, Kamchatka, the Russian Far North, and elsewhere.

Here’s just a sample of the checklist of items:

• Suppression of scientific evidence about the danger of proposed projects? Check.
• Ignoring harmful effects on endangered species? Check.
• Cozy relations between permit-granting organizations and the oil industry? Check.
• Foreign companies blatantly disregarding safety regulations? Check

The Gulf spill has received significant attention in the Russian press, and I hope our Russian friends are paying close attention. The only scene of this New York Times story that has not been played out in Russia is the part about the catastrophic spill. Granted, lack of oversight and a disregard for sound science have already caused major environmental catastrophes in the former Soviet Union; Chernobyl and the Aral Sea come to mind. And now, without major reforms within Russia’s oil and gas sector, it is only a matter of time until a major spill joins this list of Russian environmental catastrophes.

Tags: Gulf oil spill, Kamchatka, offshore drilling, oil spill, Russia, Russian Far East, Sakhalin

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 14th, 2010 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Climate Change, Energy, Russia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.