Gulf Coast Oil Spill

[Scott L]

She makes some valid points but she lost me when she started carrying on about illegal immigration.

Good point. The subject has not been on Washington's agenda in 3 or more years excluding Arizona's recent splash...

 

[captain]

Shell Oil has been waiting two weeks for a yes or no from the feds on using it's super tankers to assist in the clean up. The feds want an enviromental impack study on the effects of dredging before allowing dredging to build a sand berm to protect the coast from the enviromental impack of the oil spill, any of this makes sence

 

[Nemrod]

All I am saying is that if one cannot drill in deep water without spilling this much oil then I think drilling should be stopped until better technology for dealing with the inevitable blowout etc is developed. Ex petroleum geologist who has sat rigs for months in the Gulf ------> me.

There is never a 100% guarantee of anything but it is clear nobody has thought this type of event through.

Yes Virginia, corporations are greedy, their greed only exceeded by government incompetence. Put the two entities together and we have the perfect storm, yep, the largest ecological disaster in US history with plumes of oil headed to parts unknown including potentially the Keys.

When this thing began many people, everywhere were minimizing the impact and now they are mostly ignoring--what will be the largest ecological disaster in US history.

We need to get off the gasoline habit, yes, use it for what it does best but we need to downsize our homes, cars and economize and gasoline needs to be more expensive to provide the incentive. This was the event that pushed me over the limit, I ride my bicycle to work, 12 miles, three to four days a week now. In the winter I may need to revert back to the Jeep but for now, I have lost 35 pounds of lazy fat and the bicycle commuting is part of the reason and I am not burning any gasoline for many routines.

I just had a customer from India, he told me that he rides a bike to work and has his entire life, we were discussing my bike. He told me that he is amazed that he does not see people here walking or riding bicycles, that everyone here has a car, some have three or four cars per person! Now, just imagine when all of those people in India and China trade their bikes and loafers/sandals for cars.

Their infrastructure--or lack of--is built around being able to walk, shop, live in a walking distance universe. We here as in most developed nations depend upon a car universe because we live miles from where we shop, miles from where we work etc. This is unsustainable, not only does this "car universe" produce high energy consumption lifestyles but suburbanization eats up crop lands, wet lands and forests and turn them into square miles of Hummer Homes and Mac Mansions.

N

 

[sschlesi]

Shell Oil has been waiting two weeks for a yes or no from the feds on using it's super tankers to assist in the clean up. The feds want an enviromental impack study on the effects of dredging before allowing dredging to build a sand berm to protect the coast from the enviromental impack of the oil spill, any of this makes sence

No question, everyone has been caught with their pants down. It is appropriate for jobs to be lost, fines to be levied, and jail time for those who should have known better for both the regulators and the oil industry.

I'm not sure if you're saying the super tankers are to be used for dredging operations?

Before creating a substantial set of barriers islands it does make sense to review what you will be killing in the process. Unfortunately there isn't really time to be thorough, but at least a little sober second thought is necessary. From my outsiders perspective it does seem like the time has come to make a decision.

 

[Upwelling]

Good point. The subject has not been on Washington's agenda in 3 or more years excluding Arizona's recent splash...

Thanks.

Now they are saying that this might not be fixed until August! Am I the only one who thinks we're completely screwed?

 

[captain]

No question, everyone has been caught with their pants down. It is appropriate for jobs to be lost, fines to be levied, and jail time for those who should have known better for both the regulators and the oil industry.

I'm not sure if you're saying the super tankers are to be used for dredging operations?

Before creating a substantial set of barriers islands it does make sense to review what you will be killing in the process. Unfortunately there isn't really time to be thorough, but at least a little sober second thought is necessary. From my outsiders perspective it does seem like the time has come to make a decision.

Super tankers were used in the Persian Gulf to clean up a large spill by skimming up the oil and water and seperating the oil from the water.

Hey, BP: Supertankers Could Clean Up Spill - They suck up vast quantities of polluted water; oil is filtered out in port

 

[Mike Boswell]

All I am saying is that if one cannot drill in deep water without spilling this much oil then I think drilling should be stopped until better technology for dealing with the inevitable blowout etc is developed. Ex petroleum geologist who has sat rigs for months in the Gulf ------> me.

There is never a 100% guarantee of anything but it is clear nobody has thought this type of event through.

Yes Virginia, corporations are greedy, their greed only exceeded by government incompetence. Put the two entities together and we have the perfect storm, yep, the largest ecological disaster in US history with plumes of oil headed to parts unknown including potentially the Keys.

When this thing began many people, everywhere were minimizing the impact and now they are mostly ignoring--what will be the largest ecological disaster in US history.

We need to get off the gasoline habit, yes, use it for what it does best but we need to downsize our homes, cars and economize and gasoline needs to be more expensive to provide the incentive. This was the event that pushed me over the limit, I ride my bicycle to work, 12 miles, three to four days a week now. In the winter I may need to revert back to the Jeep but for now, I have lost 35 pounds of lazy fat and the bicycle commuting is part of the reason and I am not burning any gasoline for many routines.

I just had a customer from India, he told me that he rides a bike to work and has his entire life, we were discussing my bike. He told me that he is amazed that he does not see people here walking or riding bicycles, that everyone here has a car, some have three or four cars per person! Now, just imagine when all of those people in India and China trade their bikes and loafers/sandals for cars.

Their infrastructure--or lack of--is built around being able to walk, shop, live in a walking distance universe. We here as in most developed nations depend upon a car universe because we live miles from where we shop, miles from where we work etc. This is unsustainable, not only does this "car universe" produce high energy consumption lifestyles but suburbanization eats up crop lands, wet lands and forests and turn them into square miles of Hummer Homes and Mac Mansions.

N

I think I have read your great post five times now...So much here to think about.

Corporations - The movement in the 1980's to deregulate business has unfortunately been torpedoed by business itself. The experiences of the last couple of decades have exposed huge flaws in the way Wall Street and our major corporations are structured and run. From Enron to the dot.com bust to the housing melt-down to the BP disaster, it has become abundantly clear that there is far too much power, and far too little accountability, in big business. Simply put, the biggest firms have let us, and themselves, down: They seem to be too big NOT to fail.

Oil - "Drill, Baby, Drill" is dead politically and socially. Our government needs to place alternative energy and energy independence at the top of its agenda.

Our infrastructure - California is one gigantic car culture. People often drive an hour or more to get to work. People who earn the least often have to drive the farthest. As the cost of fuel inevitably rises, there will be big structural changes in how we commute, and where we live and work. Having spent some time in Europe, I'm a big fan of trains.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

Our infrastructure - California is one gigantic car culture. People often drive an hour or more to get to work. People who earn the least often have to drive the farthest. As the cost of fuel inevitably rises, there will be big structural changes in how we commute, and where we live and work. Having spent some time in Europe, I'm a big fan of trains.

IMO consolidating travel into one arena, such as mass transit with trains, is the absolute best way to transition to an economy built on sustainability. We can power trains with green energy alternative which is much easier than making cars into large wheeled batteries or hyrdogen powered bombs.

Sadly, we are too slow with energy independence to save the gulf of mexico.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

I guess we will never learn, huh?


YouTube - Oil Spill in Alaska 2010 & 1979 Rachel Maddow

 

[OneRestlessNative]

So, do you really advocate shutting down Gulf oil production until new energy sources are obtained? By the way, please send us pics of your electric cars...Lol

Jezus!!!! Just watch "Who Killed The Electric Car"

The technology "IS" available we as a society are just too complacent to care because all most of us care about is sitting our fat arses on the couch and watching the newest "Lost" episodes. It is time to wake the hell up and demand more from our governing bodies and leaders! I suspect nothing will change until it is too late......Money and power rules all..... Sad but true.