Gulf Coast Oil Spill

[dmoore19]

powers of congress?

I don't see the section that deals with making Goldman Sachs and other PRIVATE wall street firms whole with taxpayer money...

It's ironic that whenever convenient the constitution is cited, in other cases it ceases to exist.

I am not saying that it does not take time to make the transition to alternative energy, of course it does, the technology IS THERE right now... the argument that it cannot happen is just an excuse. As an example Brazil has most of their vehicles running on FlexFuel. Ten Million Flex-Fuel Vehicles in Brazil a Milestone that Deserves Global... -- SAO PAULO, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- There are many promising fuel cell prototypes running around as well.. I rode in one when I was at BMW's test track in Munich last year, they are just expensive to produce right now.

The impetus needs to come from government. Private industry works for profit, not for the environment.

In the United States the government may provide incentive but in the end, private industry will provide the solution to this problem, not the government. At least that will be the case as long as we remain a capitalistic society and do not keep easing toward a socialist republic where the government owns and runs everything.

IMO flexfuel is a joke. While it is available now and is used, the manufacturing process is extremely inefficient and without government subsidies already in place would not be economically feasible for mainstream use here. The impact on the world market for corn as a food source would be impacted greatly. I think, though I cannot site any real proof of my belief, that is another reason FlexFuel hasn't exactly "caught fire" in a commercial sense. Besides it still contains a pretty high percentage of refined gasoline, so it is not truly a renewable source either. Clean burning Natural gas is available and the conversion for domestic cars and trucks is relatively inexpensive, widespread availability of commercial refueling stations is years away. But then that to you would not be acceptable because it is not a renewable commodity and you would be dealing with the same Oil companies you are dealing with now. Like I said before, the technology is really not available right now and what is available isn't economically feasible.

 

[captain]

http://www.drillingcontractor.org/dcpi/dc-mayjune07/DC_May07_BOP.pdf

http://www.drillingcontractor.org/dcpi/dc-mayjune07/DC_May07_BOP.pdf

 

[Sasquatch]

What effects will it have over the summer if they can't stop the 200,000 plus gallons a day pouring into the gulf for 3 months? I just passed on putting a deposit on a place in Pensacola for this summer because things aren't looking good. :depressed:

That sounds like a wise decision, sadly.

 

[AquaExplorer]

Yes, please, lets keep looking for the easy way out. Certainly we should just drill, drill, drill, drill......

I wonder how much the world would change if no one had to worry about where energy was going to come from? While THIS IS an environmental disaster, finding renewable sources of energy is great for more than just environmental protection.

Get a clue, without the hysteria of oil spills and outcry about environmental protection, suits would cut corners worrying only about the bottom line, and we wouldn't have eco tourism, places to dive, and amazing animal species to experience. We would instead only know the fully selfish, parasitic potential of our great great species.

And that is just a downright BS answer and one not grounded in reality.

Dammit quit putting anyone that is "for the environment" (whatever that really means) as some sort of paragon of virtue and companies, specifically oil companies, as evil nerdowells.

The underbelly of a "civilized" world is dirty, the reason Dirty Jobs is so popular is because "oh my gosh" people just do not want to see it anymore but that does not lessen the fact that it exists.

Would I love something other than oil to run the world? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY! Does it mean I want to drive our current prices to $10 a gallon for gas, or send heating out through the roof, or have plastics cost a fortune because people "do not have a clue" TM regarding the real and deep level that oil plays in our society? Umm....no.

 

[AquaExplorer]

So are you FOR the environment or against it? Offshore drilling does have the POTENTIAL for severe environmental consequences in case of an accident. Just because this spill was small doesn't mean next time it will be the same size. Given that the environment is under so much pressure already do we need to get into endeavors that risk it further just because you want cheap oil in your V8 truck? That is not the solution, it's time we used alternative energy sources but nobody wants to make that switch due to costs which is understandable. It is the government's responsibility to take that first major step by subsidizing alternative energy so people will adopt it. Instead of that they are going down the same foolish unsustainable path by wanting to drill more.

Non-sequiter...there is not "for or against" when it comes to the environment, or most things for that matter. Life is simply not that cut-and-dry. I am a diver, I love the outdoors, I recycle, I attempt to help when and where I can.

I also own a plane, fly on commercial jets to cool places, ride on boats that take diesel fuel, drive to work every day, LOVE my A/C in the Georgia summers.

So what am I supposed to do to show my "foreness" with the environment to you? Stop driving? Live in a tent? All of us drive tiny-arsed rollerskate cars? No thanks....

 

[laguna230diver]

no but why can't we shift towards wind energy for our electricity over coal?

 

[Cap335]

no but why can't we shift towards wind energy for our electricity over coal?

Oddly enough because the enviromentalist keep fighting it because of noise polution and possible bird strikes. Other groups fight it with a not in my back yard mentality.

Randy

 

[shoredivr]

Should we also attack the electronics industry and expect them to pay to find ways to reduce the use of electricity to run the Televisions, radios, computers etc that they produce?

Yes. And while we're at it, stop producing and buying more latest versions of useless junk.

 

[Hammerhead]

The change from oil to an alternate energy is going to take a while. Look how long it took for our current form of transportation to replace the horse and buggy. The technology for alternate energy forms just isn't there right now. The electric grid and the infrastructure for generating and delivering electricity needs to be completely rebuilt. The technology for nuclear power is proven yet we sit on our hands and do nothing. When was the last time a nuclear power plant permit was approved? Of course there is potential for environmental diasaster there too. Solar and wind power are still in their infancy and while the technology has made giant strides in the direction of being viable, they still have a long way to go. Ethanol, well that isn't exactly the cure all either, never was even though some still think differently. We may not even know what the next energy source is. There is no simple answer to the problem. Throwing insults and accusing someone of being anti environment doesn't serve any purpose. We're all on this planet and in the same boat. Using an incident like this can be used for improving things in the future or it can be used to set back an entire nation. I am positive there is not one single person on this earth that is glad to see what happened. Fact is it may be impossible to please everyone at this point. Everyone screams for energy independence. The technology for energy independence has not yet been discovered. More drilling may not be the long term answer but until the technology for another source of energy is developed, it may be the only answer.

That is a truly fantastic post.

 

[knowone]

Yes. And while we're at it, stop producing and buying more latest versions of useless junk.

Such a regs for cosmetic reasons. Newer comers exempted.