Gulf Oil Spill 2010

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

we all know BP was in bed with Halliburton who is in bed with Dick Cheney who hates the environment and is thrilled to see oil coating our oceans.

Who was also in bed with Transocean.

I wonder how many folks down there were chanting "Drill Baby Drill". All those businesses destroyed, sad.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

Who was also in bed with Transocean.

I wonder how many folks down there were chanting "Drill Baby Drill". All those businesses destroyed, sad.

Now, now. It's impolite to mention that the environmentalist wackos were right and the Regressives were wrong (again). Just pretend like nobody was right and this is just a terrible tragedy - but one that was unavoidable.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

Now, now. It's impolite to mention that the environmentalist wackos were right and the Regressives were wrong (again). Just pretend like nobody was right and this is just a terrible tragedy - but one that was unavoidable.

You will NEVER convince me that this was unavoidable. I for one believe America can do things right if they want too.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

You will NEVER convince me that this was unavoidable. I for one believe America can do things right if they want too.

Communist!

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

You will NEVER convince me that this was unavoidable. I for one believe America can do things right if they want too.

I'm probably on the opposite side of the political spectrum from you, but I still agree. This was avoidable, but I don't think it is something that necessarily goes hand-in-hand with offshore drilling. This happened because some corporations ****ed up and got lazy/complacent or tried to cut corners and save money. Really we don't know the exact reasons, but at this point I hesitate to blame anyone except BP and any other company that is directly involved in that rig's operation.

edit to clarify what I was trying to say

 

[WeWantMore]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I'm probably on the opposite side of the political spectrum from you, but I still agree. This was avoidable, but I don't think it is something that necessarily goes hand-in-hand with offshore drilling. This happened because some corporations ****ed up and got lazy/complacent or tried to cut corners and save money. Really we don't know the exact reasons, but at this point I hesitate to blame anyone than BP and any other company that is directly involved in that rig's operation.

Heap the blame on BP, they definitely deserve it. Let's not let the idiots at the regulatory offices off either though.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I'm probably on the opposite side of the political spectrum from you, but I still agree. This was avoidable, but I don't think it is something that necessarily goes hand-in-hand with offshore drilling. This happened because some corporations ****ed up and got lazy/complacent or tried to cut corners and save money. Really we don't know the exact reasons, but at this point I hesitate to blame anyone except BP and any other company that is directly involved in that rig's operation.

edit to clarify what I was trying to say

As I said earlier in the thread. I'm not opposed to drilling. We can do it safe, we can do it clean, and we can make a profit at it.

No excuses. This is supposed to be America.

 

[Chickens@NU]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

An eddy broke off from the loop current, which will greatly diminish the chances for an ecological disater in the florida keys. That's the only good news to have come out of this recently.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

To steal from a guy on Fark.

One loser from Connecticut puts the wrong fertilizer, fireworks, and closed propane tanks in his car, kills 0 people, injures 0 people, and we arrest him, a bunch of people he conspired with (rightfully so of course), and are considering re-writing the constitution to remove the rights from the rest of us who aren't terrorists (not rightfully so).

A company shows a pattern of ignoring safety rules, causes a complete environmental catastrophe, that kills 11 people, and ruins the lives of thousands of people. No one arrested. No one charged. And they have a limit on their liability, so we the taxpayer will wind up subsidizing the losses, while they keep all the profit.

The corporate oligarchy continues.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

There is one thing that I've been wondering and reading the posts about a possible cover up has brought it back into my mind.

It wasn't that long ago that there was the debate about expanding offshore drilling and there were many people on both sides of the argument. There still isn't a definative cause for the initial explosion, only speculation. Is it possible that some eco-terrorist group caused the explosion in an attempt to stop the expansion of offshore drilling and possibly even reduce the current offshore drilling effort? I could definitely see the government and BP not wanting the fact that this was the cause of the disaster known to the public. It would likely hurt both of their interests if it was anounced to be the cause of the explosion and subsequent oil leak.

/conspiracy theory

From what I've read, the evidence is consistent with a blowout. Malicious action seems highly unlikely.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I doubt anyone intended this to happen. Shoddy work, poor planning, etc is mostly likely.

We need to use our natural resources. Safely. Drilling a mile deep in the ocean is not safe. Ironically the same people yelling the loudest about this are the same who didn't want near shore drilling or development in Alaska.

 

[walrus]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270950789108846.html

Obama is taking the hit for the spill?

 

[bronconick]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270950789108846.html

Obama is taking the hit for the spill?

Sounds more like he's taking the hit for the Obama response to the Oil being about as awesome as Bush's response to Katrina.

The point in the comments about a $3,000,000,000,000 a year government being utterly helpless and pointing at BP screaming "They have to fix it. We don't know how, it's not our fault," is pretty funny.

 

[Patman]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

Sounds more like he's taking the hit for the Obama response to the Oil being about as awesome as Bush's response to Katrina.

The point in the comments about a $3,000,000,000,000 a year government being utterly helpless and pointing at BP screaming "They have to fix it. We don't know how, it's not our fault," is pretty funny.

I think more than anything this illustrates that not government nor anybody else can magically divine away problems. People believe that it can be done on a whole host of issues... and with the most hubris on the economic front.

This is the illusion of liberalism... its the illusion that all can be done given the proper governance, effort, and alignment. Its a false idol. There are things out of our control (clean up, plugging the hole) that will always be out of our control. Now, could they have had better oversight... potentially... I get the feeling that this technical issue and challenge is far from simple but only light will illuminate the answer to that... but in general there are things that are beyond our capabilities and I wish more people would see the limitations of things.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I think more than anything this illustrates that not government nor anybody else can magically divine away problems. People believe that it can be done on a whole host of issues... and with the most hubris on the economic front.

This is the illusion of liberalism... its the illusion that all can be done given the proper governance, effort, and alignment. Its a false idol. There are things out of our control (clean up, plugging the hole) that will always be out of our control. Now, could they have had better oversight... potentially... I get the feeling that this technical issue and challenge is far from simple but only light will illuminate the answer to that... but in general there are things that are beyond our capabilities and I wish more people would see the limitations of things.

If they can't drill at that depth without creating this disaster then they shouldn't be drilling there at all. That's the point. Always has been, always will be. There is NO EXCUSE for this disaster. Goverment = Fail, BP = Fail, Transocean = Fail, Halliburton = Fail.

 

[amherstblackbear]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

If they can't drill at that depth without creating this disaster then they shouldn't be drilling there at all. That's the point. Always has been, always will be. There is NO EXCUSE for this disaster. Goverment = Fail, BP = Fail, Transocean = Fail, Halliburton = Fail.

Exactly. I don't think anyone really believes that government is omnipotent. It's probably true that there's very little that they can do about an accident like this after the fact.

But that view reflects extraordinary tunnel vision. It ignores the prior question: should we allow an activity that entails risks that we're powerless to resolve? That's where big bad government regulation has a role to play. Blaming BP and their affiliates makes us feel warm and fuzzy but it does precisely nothing about the underlying problem.

BP failed. The oil-friendly regulators failed. And, frankly, Obama failed by trusting them.

 

[Patman]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I really wonder if BP thinks it can still stop the leak AND THEN still be able to draw oil from the pipe afterwards... that would certain constrain the set of allowable solutions to stopping the leak.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I really wonder if BP thinks it can still stop the leak AND THEN still be able to draw oil from the pipe afterwards... that would certain constrain the set of allowable solutions to stopping the leak.

They probably should have given up on that idea after about a week at most.

Sticking another pipe 10 miles away wouldn't be the end of the world profit wise, and they're doing that anyway.

 

[walrus]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

I really wonder if BP thinks it can still stop the leak AND THEN still be able to draw oil from the pipe afterwards... that would certain constrain the set of allowable solutions to stopping the leak.

They're drilling another well right there, They'll still be able to get the oil. The oil in that well will never pay off the liability they now have

 

[Farce Poobah]

Re: Gulf Oil Spill 2010

Exxon Valdez occurred in a "relatively" contained area, and out of sight of the voting masses.

BP's Gulf disaster happened in wide open ocean, and might just wipe out much of the Gulf ecosystem before this is done. It's also highly visible.

I remember how Three Mile Island changed the debate.

This will, also.