oil spill rant

[patnjess]

This whole thing pisses me off!
I'm so mad. I'm so sorry for the loss of the families their lives can never be replaced.

I live on the gulf coast (called the nature coast where we live, for all the wildlife)
Here's another thing, there is this type of sponge material available, made her in florida made out of glass I believe, environmentally safe, Nasa has been using it for years. Soaks up tons more then its weight in oil.
Its expensive though, and BP hasn't even inquiredabout it, though they have contacted BP

They can't get this think capped. It dumping millions.

and I'm sorry the environmental impact is extreme. The loss of those men is just plain terrible, but the ramifications of this have yet to be seen. The eco system is a very fragile thing, we have no idea when this will stop, this has the potential for a massive affect on everyone's life. We don't know what is going to happen, the butterfly affect!



This seems selfish and inconsiderate, but I grew up on this gulf. I grew up fishing, snorkeling, swimming and everything on the gulf, what if because of this spill my children might not be able to experience this like I did.

And yes these rigs are like artificial reefs bringing in whole eco systems of fish, but sunken ships and such do the same thing.

I for one have been a proponent of these oil rigs off of floridas coast, not anymore!

 

[patnjess]

oh and PS there are tons waiting in the wings to help, I know here in florida there is a long list of volunteers and tons of people donating much needed materials to save the wildlife, old Tshirts, nylons, dawn and such.

 

[silkydragon]

Quote:
maybe there familys didnt want the info released

 

[SarahFair]

This was posted on another forum I frequent....
It is the most natural way they can clean it up

 

[doubled]

this could have something to do with why the government isn't doing more...
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/10/93859/us-agency-lets-oil-industry-write.html

 

[The Chicken People]

Maybe their families are sitting back wondering when someone will honor their deceased loved ones?
I mean really we give hard core criminals their 15 minutes of fame...why not honor a lost loved one in a tragedy!

 

[Msbear]

Quote:
That is just unbelievable! I just hope that all this craziness is an eye opener for everyone and a better system will ensue

.. one with real checks and balances

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
aprox 175,000 psi

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to downplay the tragedy at all. There is absolutely nothing good about this.

Eleven people lost their lives in the explosion. How many were injured, seriously or otherwise? Does anyone know? Does anyone care?

Several years ago, there was a massive oil leak in the Bay of Campeche, in Mexican waters. Tremendous amounts of oil were spilled in the water. That ecosystem is a whole lot closer to what is going on here than the Exxon Valdez tragedy. What happened down there to the ecosystem? What were the short-term and long term effects? I know it is not the exact same situation, but what parallels can be drawn and what can we reasonably expect? Those Mexican beaches down there are where a whole lot of the sea turtles lay their eggs, just as an example. What effect did it really have?

I worked in the offshore oil industry, not in this specific phase, but I know a bit about how this type of operation works. Some of the information I get from the media, from online, and from friends makes a lot of sense, but some just does not seem possible. There is a whole lot of misinformation out there, including the national media. I'd really like to understand what really happened. I imagine it was the "perfect storm". Several factors came together exactly wrong. I'm sure it was not just one thing. I know many of the safeguards that should have been in place. I am not happy right now because there is no way this type of thing should happen, even if most of the safeguards failed.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, a whole lot of the people working in the oil industry do care a lot about the environment. We normally raise our families in the areas that are affected by oil operations, whether drilling, producing, or refining. We work and our whole family plays in that environment. I did a lot of fishing in the areas that are likely to be most affected. It is not unreasonable to expect our children to work or live and raise our grandkids in that general vicinity. We are no different than anyone else and we normally have more at stake than most other people. We do care.

Believe me, you want the BP's, Shells, and Chevron's drilling and producing out there. You do not want the smaller oil companies doing this type of thing. And it is going to happen. Our national defense and our economy do depend on it, regardless of what some people may think. Big Oil will do a much better job in responding than a saller company would.

Big Oil has made a huge push the last decade or two in regards to safety, both for their workers and the environment, much more than most of the smaller oil companies. They have actually figured out that they make more profit by not having the accidents. It took a long time, but some have actually figured that out. Part of the higher up's bonuses and promotions depends on the safety record of the divisions under their control. Part of that safety record includes contractors working on their jobs, not just the direct employees. So they have been dragging the contractors along on improving safety. I saw tremendous improvements in operations in both personal and environmental safety the time I worked in the industry. The contractors will meet the expectations of the company that hires them. They do perform differently for Big Oil and the smaller companies. I'm not saying everyone involved is an angel. You are dealing with human beings and some are lazier, greedier, or more dishonest than others. I suspect someone cut corners that should not have been cut. I think some people made bad decisions. I kinda hope someone gets publically fired or even goes to jail over this so the right message will be sent to the people that need to get that message.

Interestingly, BP executives were on the rig holding a ceremony celebrating several years of safe operations on that specific rig. I wonder if that was a contributing factor. I do not know for sure that it was, but I can easily envision that the senior rig personnel were at the ceremony, a junior person was at the controls, and that person did not react as they should have in an emergency, made even more hesitant because of the executives on board. But that is pure speculation. I've probably started another rumor with nothing to support it. That's how these things work.

Most of the media attention will probably be on the oil on the beaches in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. That is what people can readily see. But I think the largest risk is what is going to happen in the marshes and swamps of Louisiana. That is the breeding ground and nursery of a tremendous amount of critters that eventually swim and float in the Gulf. It is not just the commercial shrimp, fish, oysters, and crabs, but all the other species that depends on that environment to hatch and raise their young. Having seen it, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Mother Nature can repair, and I firmly believe the area will recover, but I don't know if the recovery time will involve years or decades. It will not be weeks or months.

I can assure you that we who have worked in the industry are more angry over this than the general population. We know better than most the safeguards that should have been in place, equipment and procedures, that should have prevented this.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
I think it's time the farmers & fishermen get together!