ABSTRACT
The recent oil crisis in the Gulf Coast offers pause to reflect on the relationship between government, entrepreneurial activity and the environment. Nations and businesses engage in a dialectic process that determines the rules of extractive industries and the limitations placed on them in terms of environmental dangers to local communities. Whereas the crisis in the Gulf Coast is an extreme example of the destructive potential of offshore oil drilling, there are some interesting comparisons between how governments decide to protect the environment and the possible effects of local crises on the global community. Just as important as understanding the causes of these environmental disasters is how they are dealt with years later in terms of cleanup and prevention.
