Oil spill in the gulf of Mexico
02-04-2011, 07:45 AM
#862
VIP Member
Thought about this thread when I read this
Great piece by Neal Stephenson:
[...]We may, in other words, need to look beyond strictly U.S.-centric explanations for such failures of imagination and initiative. [...] Admittedly, there are many who feel a deep antipathy for expenditure of money and brainpower on space travel when, as they never tire of reminding us, there are so many problems to be solved on earth. So if space launch were the only area in which this phenomenon was observable, it would be of concern only to space enthusiasts. But the endless BP oil spill of 2010 highlighted any number of ways in which the phenomena of path dependency and lock-in have trapped our energy industry on a hilltop from which we can gaze longingly across not-so-deep valleys to much higher and sunnier peaks in the not-so-great distance. Those are places we need to go if we are not to end up as the Ottoman Empire of the 21st century, and yet in spite of all of the lip service that is paid to innovation in such areas, it frequently seems as though we are trapped in a collective stasis. As described above, regulation is only one culprit; at least equal blame may be placed on engineering and management culture, insurance, Congress, and even accounting practices. But those who do concern themselves with the formal regulation of “technology” might wish to worry less about possible negative effects of innovation and more about the damage being done to our environment and our prosperity by the mid-20th-century technologies that no sane and responsible person would propose today, but in which we remain trapped by mysterious and ineffable forces.
Great piece by Neal Stephenson:
[...]We may, in other words, need to look beyond strictly U.S.-centric explanations for such failures of imagination and initiative. [...] Admittedly, there are many who feel a deep antipathy for expenditure of money and brainpower on space travel when, as they never tire of reminding us, there are so many problems to be solved on earth. So if space launch were the only area in which this phenomenon was observable, it would be of concern only to space enthusiasts. But the endless BP oil spill of 2010 highlighted any number of ways in which the phenomena of path dependency and lock-in have trapped our energy industry on a hilltop from which we can gaze longingly across not-so-deep valleys to much higher and sunnier peaks in the not-so-great distance. Those are places we need to go if we are not to end up as the Ottoman Empire of the 21st century, and yet in spite of all of the lip service that is paid to innovation in such areas, it frequently seems as though we are trapped in a collective stasis. As described above, regulation is only one culprit; at least equal blame may be placed on engineering and management culture, insurance, Congress, and even accounting practices. But those who do concern themselves with the formal regulation of “technology” might wish to worry less about possible negative effects of innovation and more about the damage being done to our environment and our prosperity by the mid-20th-century technologies that no sane and responsible person would propose today, but in which we remain trapped by mysterious and ineffable forces.
02-04-2011, 09:42 AM
#863
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Location: Roswell, Ga
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Thought about this thread when I read this
Great piece by Neal Stephenson:
[...]We may, in other words, need to look beyond strictly U.S.-centric explanations for such failures of imagination and initiative. [...] Admittedly, there are many who feel a deep antipathy for expenditure of money and brainpower on space travel when, as they never tire of reminding us, there are so many problems to be solved on earth. So if space launch were the only area in which this phenomenon was observable, it would be of concern only to space enthusiasts. But the endless BP oil spill of 2010 highlighted any number of ways in which the phenomena of path dependency and lock-in have trapped our energy industry on a hilltop from which we can gaze longingly across not-so-deep valleys to much higher and sunnier peaks in the not-so-great distance. Those are places we need to go if we are not to end up as the Ottoman Empire of the 21st century, and yet in spite of all of the lip service that is paid to innovation in such areas, it frequently seems as though we are trapped in a collective stasis. As described above, regulation is only one culprit; at least equal blame may be placed on engineering and management culture, insurance, Congress, and even accounting practices. But those who do concern themselves with the formal regulation of “technology” might wish to worry less about possible negative effects of innovation and more about the damage being done to our environment and our prosperity by the mid-20th-century technologies that no sane and responsible person would propose today, but in which we remain trapped by mysterious and ineffable forces.
Great piece by Neal Stephenson:
[...]We may, in other words, need to look beyond strictly U.S.-centric explanations for such failures of imagination and initiative. [...] Admittedly, there are many who feel a deep antipathy for expenditure of money and brainpower on space travel when, as they never tire of reminding us, there are so many problems to be solved on earth. So if space launch were the only area in which this phenomenon was observable, it would be of concern only to space enthusiasts. But the endless BP oil spill of 2010 highlighted any number of ways in which the phenomena of path dependency and lock-in have trapped our energy industry on a hilltop from which we can gaze longingly across not-so-deep valleys to much higher and sunnier peaks in the not-so-great distance. Those are places we need to go if we are not to end up as the Ottoman Empire of the 21st century, and yet in spite of all of the lip service that is paid to innovation in such areas, it frequently seems as though we are trapped in a collective stasis. As described above, regulation is only one culprit; at least equal blame may be placed on engineering and management culture, insurance, Congress, and even accounting practices. But those who do concern themselves with the formal regulation of “technology” might wish to worry less about possible negative effects of innovation and more about the damage being done to our environment and our prosperity by the mid-20th-century technologies that no sane and responsible person would propose today, but in which we remain trapped by mysterious and ineffable forces.
04-14-2011, 07:16 PM
#864
Banned
Oil spill still devastating the Gulf
A year later, BP's oil is still damaging the Gulf Coast
As the one-year anniversary of the BP drilling disaster nears, the American public has largely turned its attention away from the Gulf Coast. But for the people and other living creatures who make the region their home, the oil spill's impacts are still being felt acutely today.
In an effort to correct the misperception that the BP disaster is over and the 200 million gallons of oil that spill into the Gulf of Mexico have magically disappeared, staff with the Louisiana-based Gulf Restoration Network last week took reporters on a tour of areas that are still heavily impacted by BP's oil. The tour went from Myrtle Grove, La. to areas including Bay Jimmy, Barataria Bay, Queen Bess Island and Grand Terre Island -- many of the same areas that Facing South visited with GRN last summer.
"The marsh in Bay Jimmy is still heavily impacted in most areas that we viewed," reports GRN organizer Jonathan Henderson. "The grass is coated in oil, roots are exposed, and oil can be seen seeping up through the soil. It was an ugly and disappointing sight indeed."
The pelicans on Barataria Bay's Queen Bess Island -- an important rookery for Louisiana's once-endangered state bird -- appear to be doing OK, but Henderson notes that the long-term impacts of oil exposure on birds' reproductive systems remain unknown. And by killing the marsh grass along the island's coastline, the oil is exacerbating the rate of land loss -- and raising concerns that the island could disappear into the Gulf within five years.
Meanwhile, Congress has failed to take action to address the problems revealed by the BP disaster. Henderson says that has got to change.
"Congress should put the Clean Water Act fines back into the Gulf ecosystems affected by the BP drilling disaster and establish a Regional Citizens' Advisory Council," he says. "These reforms are essential to the recovery and protection of the Gulf and the nation."
http://www.southernstudies.org/2011/...ulf-coast.html
As the one-year anniversary of the BP drilling disaster nears, the American public has largely turned its attention away from the Gulf Coast. But for the people and other living creatures who make the region their home, the oil spill's impacts are still being felt acutely today.
In an effort to correct the misperception that the BP disaster is over and the 200 million gallons of oil that spill into the Gulf of Mexico have magically disappeared, staff with the Louisiana-based Gulf Restoration Network last week took reporters on a tour of areas that are still heavily impacted by BP's oil. The tour went from Myrtle Grove, La. to areas including Bay Jimmy, Barataria Bay, Queen Bess Island and Grand Terre Island -- many of the same areas that Facing South visited with GRN last summer.
"The marsh in Bay Jimmy is still heavily impacted in most areas that we viewed," reports GRN organizer Jonathan Henderson. "The grass is coated in oil, roots are exposed, and oil can be seen seeping up through the soil. It was an ugly and disappointing sight indeed."
The pelicans on Barataria Bay's Queen Bess Island -- an important rookery for Louisiana's once-endangered state bird -- appear to be doing OK, but Henderson notes that the long-term impacts of oil exposure on birds' reproductive systems remain unknown. And by killing the marsh grass along the island's coastline, the oil is exacerbating the rate of land loss -- and raising concerns that the island could disappear into the Gulf within five years.
Meanwhile, Congress has failed to take action to address the problems revealed by the BP disaster. Henderson says that has got to change.
"Congress should put the Clean Water Act fines back into the Gulf ecosystems affected by the BP drilling disaster and establish a Regional Citizens' Advisory Council," he says. "These reforms are essential to the recovery and protection of the Gulf and the nation."
http://www.southernstudies.org/2011/...ulf-coast.html
04-20-2011, 12:48 PM
#866
Banned
10 reasons to stil be pissed off about the oil spill
Hey Cajuns are yall still pissed off or are you happy about the way BP and Obama have handled everything? What are you doing about it?
10 Reasons to Still Be Pissed Off About the BP Disaster
Photo: John Hazlett
Your guide to the worst oil spill in US history, one year later.
— By Kate Sheppard
Tue Apr. 19, 2011 12:01 AM PDT
1. BP is gunning to get back to drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. When the Department of Interior issued its first deepwater permit since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it was for a well that BP owns half of. Earlier this month, company officials also announced that they are seeking an agreement with the US government to resume drilling at their 10 deepwater wells in the Gulf this July, arguing that they will follow tougher safety rules, the New York Times reported earlier this month. This comes even as the government is said to be considering manslaughter charges against the oil giant for the deaths of 11 workers last year.
2. People are sick. Nearly three-quarters of Gulf coast residents that the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental justice group, polled this year reported health concerns that they believe are related to the spill. Of the 954 residents in seven coastal communities, almost half said they had experienced health problems like coughing, skin and eye irritation, or headaches that are consistent with common symptoms of chemical exposure. While the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting health monitoring for spill cleanup workers, residents in the areas closest to the spill are concerned that their own health problems have gone unattended.
3. Fish and other sea life in the Gulf are still struggling after the disaster. The death toll for dolphins and whales in the Gulf may have been 50 times higher than the number of bodies found, according to a recent paper in Conservation Letters. Earlier this year, a large number of dead dolphin calves were found on the coast, and scientists have linked many of those deaths to the oil disaster. Anglers are also reporting dark lesions, rotting fins, and discoloration in the fish they're catching in the Gulf, as the St. Petersburg Times reported last week.
4. While those most affected by the spill are still waiting for payments, some state and local officials have been making bank off the disaster. As the Associated Press reported recently, some local governments have been using the $754 million from BP to buy iPads, SUVs, and laptops. Meanwhile, BP just gave another $30 million to Florida to help entice tourists onto its beaches this summer.
5. Congress hasn't changed a single law on oil and gas drilling in the past year. A year later, the liability cap for companies that cause a major spill is still just $75 million, companies with dismal safety records can still obtain new leases, and they can still avoid compensating families when workers die on rigs. In January, the National Oil Spill Commission released 300 pages of findings and recommendations that Congress has largely ignored.
6. GOP House members want more drilling off all our coasts with less environmental review. The Natural Resources Committee is considering a trio of bills that would open new areas for drilling in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans for drilling, speed up the process of approving permits, and force the Department of Interior to move forward with lease sales in the central Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia without further environmental review. And, for good measure, the legislation would even create economic incentives for oil companies to use seismic technology to survey for oil reserves, letting taxpayers cover half the cost.
7. "Fail safe" technology isn't fail safe. The blowout preventer (BOP), the device that was supposed to stop a catastrophic spill after the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, failed due to a faulty design and a bent piece of pipe, according to a report released in March. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement contracted the Norwegian firm Det Norske Veritas to conduct a forensic examination of the BOP. The blind shear rams, which were supposed cut through and close off the well, failed because a pipe had buckled, the 551-page report concluded—a problem that casts doubt on all the other BOPs in use today.
8. The country's offshore regulator has a new name, but it's still got plenty of problems. The much-maligned Minerals Management Service (MMS) got a branding overhaul and is now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE). And while it's made a number of changes in the past year, there are still plenty of concerns about whether the agency is up to the task. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and BOEMRE head Michael Bromwich acknowledge that it will take years of reforms to ensure that drilling is safe for workers and the environment.
9. Fewer than half of people who have filed claims from the spill have been paid. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility, under the direction of administrator Kenneth Feinberg, has approved approximately 300,000 claims out of the 857,000 it has received from individuals and businesses, totaling $3.8 billion. The claims facility cited the "unprecedented magnitude of the task" in its announcement marking the year since the spill. A number of residents have grown frustrated with the process and say they would rather sue than wait on the claims facility.
10. BP still doesn't want you to see its tar balls. That's right—even a year later, BP is still blocking reporters from the beaches.
10 Reasons to Still Be Pissed Off About the BP Disaster
Photo: John Hazlett
Your guide to the worst oil spill in US history, one year later.
— By Kate Sheppard
Tue Apr. 19, 2011 12:01 AM PDT
1. BP is gunning to get back to drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. When the Department of Interior issued its first deepwater permit since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it was for a well that BP owns half of. Earlier this month, company officials also announced that they are seeking an agreement with the US government to resume drilling at their 10 deepwater wells in the Gulf this July, arguing that they will follow tougher safety rules, the New York Times reported earlier this month. This comes even as the government is said to be considering manslaughter charges against the oil giant for the deaths of 11 workers last year.
2. People are sick. Nearly three-quarters of Gulf coast residents that the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental justice group, polled this year reported health concerns that they believe are related to the spill. Of the 954 residents in seven coastal communities, almost half said they had experienced health problems like coughing, skin and eye irritation, or headaches that are consistent with common symptoms of chemical exposure. While the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting health monitoring for spill cleanup workers, residents in the areas closest to the spill are concerned that their own health problems have gone unattended.
3. Fish and other sea life in the Gulf are still struggling after the disaster. The death toll for dolphins and whales in the Gulf may have been 50 times higher than the number of bodies found, according to a recent paper in Conservation Letters. Earlier this year, a large number of dead dolphin calves were found on the coast, and scientists have linked many of those deaths to the oil disaster. Anglers are also reporting dark lesions, rotting fins, and discoloration in the fish they're catching in the Gulf, as the St. Petersburg Times reported last week.
4. While those most affected by the spill are still waiting for payments, some state and local officials have been making bank off the disaster. As the Associated Press reported recently, some local governments have been using the $754 million from BP to buy iPads, SUVs, and laptops. Meanwhile, BP just gave another $30 million to Florida to help entice tourists onto its beaches this summer.
5. Congress hasn't changed a single law on oil and gas drilling in the past year. A year later, the liability cap for companies that cause a major spill is still just $75 million, companies with dismal safety records can still obtain new leases, and they can still avoid compensating families when workers die on rigs. In January, the National Oil Spill Commission released 300 pages of findings and recommendations that Congress has largely ignored.
6. GOP House members want more drilling off all our coasts with less environmental review. The Natural Resources Committee is considering a trio of bills that would open new areas for drilling in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans for drilling, speed up the process of approving permits, and force the Department of Interior to move forward with lease sales in the central Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia without further environmental review. And, for good measure, the legislation would even create economic incentives for oil companies to use seismic technology to survey for oil reserves, letting taxpayers cover half the cost.
7. "Fail safe" technology isn't fail safe. The blowout preventer (BOP), the device that was supposed to stop a catastrophic spill after the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, failed due to a faulty design and a bent piece of pipe, according to a report released in March. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement contracted the Norwegian firm Det Norske Veritas to conduct a forensic examination of the BOP. The blind shear rams, which were supposed cut through and close off the well, failed because a pipe had buckled, the 551-page report concluded—a problem that casts doubt on all the other BOPs in use today.
8. The country's offshore regulator has a new name, but it's still got plenty of problems. The much-maligned Minerals Management Service (MMS) got a branding overhaul and is now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE). And while it's made a number of changes in the past year, there are still plenty of concerns about whether the agency is up to the task. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and BOEMRE head Michael Bromwich acknowledge that it will take years of reforms to ensure that drilling is safe for workers and the environment.
9. Fewer than half of people who have filed claims from the spill have been paid. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility, under the direction of administrator Kenneth Feinberg, has approved approximately 300,000 claims out of the 857,000 it has received from individuals and businesses, totaling $3.8 billion. The claims facility cited the "unprecedented magnitude of the task" in its announcement marking the year since the spill. A number of residents have grown frustrated with the process and say they would rather sue than wait on the claims facility.
10. BP still doesn't want you to see its tar balls. That's right—even a year later, BP is still blocking reporters from the beaches.
04-20-2011, 10:06 PM
#867
The latest
http://blogs.forbes.com/christopherh...y-of-bp-spill/
"Chesapeake Energy has lost control of a natural gas well in the Marcellus shale that was in the process of being fracture stimulated. Thousands of gallons of salt water, likely mixed with minute quantities of chemicals used in the controversial but long-established fracking process have reportedly spilled out of the well and into a stream near Canton, Pa. The suspected cause of the incident, which occurred just before midnight Tuesday, is a cracked well casing.
Bradford County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Skip Roupp was quoted as saying that there was a crack in the top part of the well, below the blowout preventer.
The fluids reportedly overflowed a containment area and leaked into a tributary of Towanda Creek.
Chesapeake has said in a statement that there were no injuries from the blowout and that no natural gas was released to the atmosphere.
As a precaution, seven families have been evacuated from the area, and a farmer was urged to prevent his cows from drinking the creek water.
The incident comes on the first anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig at BP’s Macondo prospect.
Chesapeake is believed to be the largest acreage holder (more than 1 million acres) in the Marcellus shale gas play, which stretches under much of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia."
http://blogs.forbes.com/christopherh...y-of-bp-spill/
"Chesapeake Energy has lost control of a natural gas well in the Marcellus shale that was in the process of being fracture stimulated. Thousands of gallons of salt water, likely mixed with minute quantities of chemicals used in the controversial but long-established fracking process have reportedly spilled out of the well and into a stream near Canton, Pa. The suspected cause of the incident, which occurred just before midnight Tuesday, is a cracked well casing.
Bradford County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Skip Roupp was quoted as saying that there was a crack in the top part of the well, below the blowout preventer.
The fluids reportedly overflowed a containment area and leaked into a tributary of Towanda Creek.
Chesapeake has said in a statement that there were no injuries from the blowout and that no natural gas was released to the atmosphere.
As a precaution, seven families have been evacuated from the area, and a farmer was urged to prevent his cows from drinking the creek water.
The incident comes on the first anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig at BP’s Macondo prospect.
Chesapeake is believed to be the largest acreage holder (more than 1 million acres) in the Marcellus shale gas play, which stretches under much of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia."
04-21-2011, 07:59 AM
#870
Geronimo36
Gold Member
Quick question, what's the answer if we shouldn't drill for oil or drill for natural gas?
Seriously, wind, solar, battery needs petroleum to create the products. Hydro has its risks also... Batteries are toxic...
Just askin.
It's not as easy as it appears.
Seriously, wind, solar, battery needs petroleum to create the products. Hydro has its risks also... Batteries are toxic...
Just askin.
It's not as easy as it appears.
