Gulf Oil Spill latest This spill started 40 days ago, so there's no articles about the oil spill starting. An offshore oil rig exploded killing eleven workers 40 days ago. The pipe bringing the drilled oil above water started leaking about right after spilling gallon after gallon of oil. The company who owned the rig, British Petroleum, (BP) estimates a 5,000 barrels of oil a day is being leaked, government estimates 10,000-25,000 barrels a day. It has already hit the U.S. coast and several beaches, fisherman are grounded and the oil is spreading. BP is in charge of the clean-up, while the government is supervising. They have done several things to stop the oil and so far, none have work. This includes top kill, putting a container on top of the pipe leaking and a few others. The main worry for the eastern coast, is that it's going to hit the far Northern U.S. I live in Maine, the Northeastern most tip of the U.S. The vast majority of the economy rotates around the fishing, lobster and tourism (beaches). The concern of it hitting us is pretty high already. Thoughts? Opinions? Questions?
Sorry, a correction, I meant barrels, not gallons. Yeah, it's pretty bad, and hurricane season is here, also. They're saying it's going to be as bad as the year of Katrina in 2005. It's hitting Florida either tomorrow or the next day. That's how fast it's spreading. If it hits Maine, it's going to destroy the economy. Though we're already doing drills in preparation of it hitting. The worst part of it is it's going to last till August by predictions at the same or slower rate, they're not sure. If it also hits the Gulf Stream, (the ocean currents that link all oceans, pretty sure) it's going to contaminate it further. It's also in an ecologically fragile area with a balanced ecosystem with a lot of endangered animals. They poured toxins that is supposed to destroy the oil, but a grandson of Jacque Cousteau scuba dived under there and it showed it as a thick, deadly soup that fish and other animals are swimming into and breathing. This whole thing in my opinion is one of the worst oil spill disasters of all time, and will take decades, if not centuries to clean up.
I don't see how this hasn't got more attention lol Anyway, yes it was a horrible accident and yes; from I've heard BP were cutting corners on saftey inspections. But what gets me SO pissed off is the constant demands from America for BP to pay for everything. ARE YOU DEAF, THEY HAVE AGREED TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. Makes me sick. Also the fact that Obama's inability to speak delicately has destroyed the pension system in the UK. Well done sir.
I'm tired of all these dumbasses who expect Obama to just go to the Gulf coast, wave a magic wand, and make all the oil go away. The man is not a goddamn magician. He can only do so much. He's at least trying unlike George Bush. He has other things on his plate. Do people expect HIM to go and help clean the oil out of the water and all that crap?
It's one of those funny and ironic tragedies. It sucks, sure. But the effort to clean it up is costing more than what's invested into researcher cleaner/renewable energy sources. Given our dependence on oil this kind of thing is a given.
The main issue people have is not the fact that he's not personally cleaning anything, but the fact that he's so inactive politically about this incident. He expects BP to do and pay for everything, which is honestly what should happen, but is unrealistic in the sense that they can't do that without approaching bankruptcy, which would lead to even more job losses and stock decline, which are the last things we need right now. People want Obama to actually have the US play an active role in this cleanup and not just hear him regurgitate BP's astronomical losses in his speeches. Hell, this could open a few temporary jobs if he actually did something about it, which would be a thin silver lining around this environmental storm cloud. Yea, this is something else people don't seem to understand. Making BP pay for this is one thing, but killing their reputation destroys their stock value and affects not only the company, but millions of others by association. It's the result of people thinking only in the short term.
BP is a bunch of dumbasses who can't get the stupid thing closed. They are trying the SAME method that they used the last time the oil spilled out into the ocean. APPERENTLY the method isn't working so I don't know why they don't try something new that WILL work. Aside from all that; I feel so sorry for the wildlife T^T I feel so sorry for the animals that have to endure the oil filled oceans and beaches and I wish BP could feel their pain so they know and feel what is happing to the poor animals. I hope that they get it plugged up soon...
Yes, logically that makes sense. If it worked last time, do it again. If anything, they should be commended for at least trying a method that they knew to work at one point. You say that as if a new method can be thought up in an instant. This situation is delicate, so many factors have to be taken into consideration when thinking up a new method of sealing the leak. It's not as if they're not trying, so don't accuse them of being lazy or something, because that's what I'm getting from what you wrote. You say that as if the president of BP is going down to the Gulf Coast and personally giving ducks oil baths. BP isn't some evil corporation; this could have happened to any oil company. Granted, I did hear from several sources that they did cut corners on a few of their inspections, which, if that is the case, does take away a good deal of BP's excuses, but still, it's not as if the company is actively going out of their way to hurt animals. Don't accuse them of being indifferent to the situation when they're trying to seal up the leak.
My issue with this whole thing is that the wildlife (that are minding they're own business) are being harmed by this whole spill. Not only is the ocean being polluted with trash and plastic (that is non-biodegradable), there's also millions of barrels of oil spilling into the ocean from the ocean floor. The worst part is, they threw so much of the dispersant chemicals on top of the oil that it actually made the oil stay suspended in the water, so you can't even see how much oil is floating around. Sure there are coastal volunteers that clean animals, but I heard on the news today that they're only able to save about 1/6 of the animals drowning in the oil. Now, everyone's ready to point the finger at whoever they can to make them receive all the blame, when what all everyone wants and needs is someone to help come up with solutions. I don't care who did it! All I want is it to stop! Right now, they're so desperate to stop the flow that they had a plan to shoot junk at it in hopes to plug the hole. Locals are really feeling the effects of living around the oil too. People are actually getting sick from breathing in the chemicals from the oil in the water. I heard from CNN that the oil is somehow moving inland (I don't know how that's possible) It's a wonder this will ever be solved. But there's one thing that's for sure, if everyone doesn't stop criticizing and take action, then the Gulf of Mexico will be ruined forever, and while we may be able to clean most of it, unfortunately there will be remnants for years to come.
Wow... A lot of posts since I wandered off. I find it disturbing in some ways how they're helping the wildlife. The whole moving the turtle eggs is one way I find it. Yes, it sounds like a good idea, yes it sounds like it'll help them. But the turtles are born there for several reasons. One, is that despite everything else, a lot of animals depend on the turtle eggs during that time of year to be able to survive. It sounds cruel, but when you punch out the numbers, you still have hundreds of thousands of turtles left over. Also, the thing is... They're guided there by instinct, they remember it as their birthplace. Now with them being moved, in a few years, we're going to have a massive problem. Not only with misguided seaturtles going to the wrong beaches, but an overpopulation problem because nature didn't take it's course and all the natural predators that keep the population down are suddenly yanked out of the picture. And we're not talking about a few people affected in this oil spill. We're talking about whole states. What I said before about Maine's economy crashing because of oil is 100% true. Three-quarters of our year comes from the beach. Only during the winter do we depend on the mountains to bring in cash. If you drive in coastal Maine in the middle of summer and then in the middle of winter, you'd be absolutely flabberghasted on the difference. Louisianna, Alabama and especially Florida depend heavily on the same tourism. There's businesses that are going quickly belly up and fishermen killing themselves over this. Many people are hurting and it will take years for it to totally recover.
345 gallons a day is nothing to scoff at. lolololo The leak is very toxic, since it has many many many chemicals other than oil in it. Corexit was used to try and supress the oil but... well just look for yourself. click Heavy ****.
They say the cap's not a permanent fix, but it's better than nothing. I still wonder why it took them almost 3 months to figure out how to get this thing on. And what happens to the piping if too much pressure from this "plug" builds up?
I think they're trying to build a stronger cap or they're going to try and seal it with mud or something
The cap is there to hold the oil until the one of the relief wells reaches the oil and kills the problem well.
Maybe, FINALLY, the American government will come to it's few senses and realise that BP actually did a good job in dealing with the disaster and will try to comensate the UK with how much it DETROYED THE UK STOCK EXCHANGE AND PENSION SYSTEM.
From CNN, it is being said, note: these are rumors. That Hayward is resigning tomorrow. BP is denying it, but if it's true, good riddance. Considering how much controversy is rising from the oil rig explosion and the spill afterward, he should have left months ago. Hopefully they'll find someone who is better for the job. As for the above post, I don't think the U.S. is going to apologize anytime soon. Yes, it has deeply affected the British economy, but it has hurt us far worse with three whole states economies almost stopping completely due to this oil spill. It might take you years to recover, and yes, BP might go under. But we might have lost a whole industry in the South due to this spill for years. A industry that they depend on for a lot of other things. It's not going to be nearly as easy for them to recover.
