Politicians have learned that the electorate is unwilling to pay what it costs for the various safety requirements. Those regulations add too much cost to (fill in your own item such as gasoline, house, car safety, functional floodplains, etc.).

Are we pushing any dam operator to fully mitigate for their resource damage? Are we regulating logging to the extent necessary to preserve the ecosystem? Are we willing to treat wastewater to remove all the nutrients and other human additives so that the water released is as clean as it was when diverted?

The spill is bad but how much oil have we gotten out of the gulf, so far, compared to the spill? It's all about risk, and if it saves each of us a few cents we are willing to accept that risk, until the ship hits the sand.