gulf spill

[starjack]

All very suspect to me

[Henry V]

...Almost a week and a half after the explosion the thing is still dumping 5,000 barrels a day into the Gulf. Earlier today Fox News was reporting it could take up to 90 days to stop the leak....

This is amazing. You would have thought that the engineers that designed the drilling rig would have planned for this type of event. If something goes bad, there needs to be a automatic system with redundancy to shut the well down. Seems like a no-brainer doesn't it?

[YardleyLabs]

It appears that this is not the first time there has been a problem with the blow out preventer valve on a Transocean rig operated by BP (http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/04/29/bp-oil-spill-investigation-will-focus-on-blowout-preventers/). Unfortunately, the cost of doing a job correctly always looks greater when the risk of failure is hypothetical. Otherwise reasonable people decide to avoid the certain cost because they are sure that the problem will never really happen. That is an appropriate reason to fear and rigorously regulate all activities where the potential costs of failures are almost infinite. This is true for both nuclear reactors and deep water wells.

[dnf777]

That is an appropriate reason to fear and rigorously regulate all activities where the potential costs of failures are almost infinite. This is true for both nuclear reactors and deep water wells.

Being from Pennsylvania, Jeff, you ought to know nothing can go wrong with nuclear reactors!

[Franco]

This is amazing. You would have thought that the engineers that designed the drilling rig would have planned for this type of event. If something goes bad, there needs to be a automatic system with redundancy to shut the well down. Seems like a no-brainer doesn't it?

Unless the casing was perforated well below the head. They are saying that the casing could be leaking from three areas.

Plan is to get a dome over the wellhead and pump out of the dome and into a ship. This will give them time to drill directionally with Horizon's twin, which is already at the scene.

Problem with clean up is that since the accident, the gulf has 10-20 foot seas. Collection booms are being strung all along the mid-gulf coast.

[JDogger]

I'm sorry for the folks in LA. This looks very bad. Not just for the residents of LA, but for the country as a whole. We'll all end up paying for it to some degree or another.

I have to ask, however, how's that "drill, baby, drill" thingy workin' for ya now?

JD

[road kill]

I'm sorry for the folks in LA. This looks very bad. Not just for the residents of LA, but for the country as a whole. We'll all end up paying for it to some degree or another.

I have to ask, however, how's that "drill, baby, drill" thingy workin' for ya now?

JD

Interesting question?
Wonder about the timing (Toyota like).
I guess Obama will have to back off his drilling ideas now ...huh!!??!!??


Who'd of ever thunk it????



rk

[Buzz]

Interesting question?
Wonder about the timing (Toyota like).
I guess Obama will have to back off his drilling ideas now ...huh!!??!!??


Who'd of ever thunk it????



rk

I hate to say it, but now you're sounding like Glenn Beck.

So you think that this event was politically motivated?

Wow!

[dnf777]

Interesting question?
Wonder about the timing (Toyota like).
I guess Obama will have to back off his drilling ideas now ...huh!!??!!??
Who'd of ever thunk it????
rk

How'd ya like to be the poor advisor who told Obama, "now's the time to go ahead with the drilling proposition?" last month?

He may be the guy showing up at your door to ask census question this w/e, or the guy flippin your big mac!

[Franco]

The real tragedy in this will be in giving the Dems more leverage in limiting offshore drilling.

http://www.wwl.com/

If one really wants to know what is going on, listen to the stream on WWL radio. They are covering this around the clock and only deviate from the coverage to give the latest New Olreans Saints' news.

Last night, they have a panal of biologist and geologist on discussing the situation. An estimate several million barrels of oil seep from the floor of the gulf annually as part of the natural environment. The biggest imapct in La, will be to the oyster beds between the mouth of the river and Ms Gulf Coast. Oysters can't move out of the way. The oil won't kill them as much as make them unedible. There are enough booms to keep most of the spill from reaching shore. Oil will disapate in a short period of time.

The big danager is in not getting the well secured in the very near future. Increasing spill would damage the white sand beaches of Ms and upper Florida. Directional drilling has already begun and they are working to get the dome placed over the wellhead. Rough seas persist and that is making it more difficult.

With the vast amount of drilling offshore, accidents will happen. They are trying to determine the reason for the explosion and nothing has been ruled out.