Stop playing politics about temporary barge skimming delay

Oh, how the Coast Guard was pilloried by politicians and the media for making sure that oil skimming barges complied with safety regulations last week. It turns out the barges were tied up for a whopping 24 hours out of nearly 60 days of gushing oil. The USCG was doing its job to make sure that the barges had sufficient life jackets and fire extinguishers to comply with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs). Those regulations are in place to protect the lives of mariners, who once again get the short shrift when it comes to the environment. Imagine the fallout if one of the barge workers died in a barge fire and no extinguisher was on hand or fell over the side without a life vest available. No doubt the USCG would get pilloried for not enforcing federal safety regulations in the same way that the Minerals Management Service was blasted for not enforcing deepwater drilling.