Drill Baby Drill

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
61

I just so happen to work in the oil industry for BP and I can tell you that they ARE doing everything possible to correct the situation. The oil buisness is a dangerous buisness to be in, but the safety records have been improving every year. This accident is one of those once every hundred year events that we talk about. Other industries have the same accidents, are you going to shut down all nuclear reactors when a nozzle has a leak. Are you going to shut down all steam driven turbins that blow up at power houses. These are industries that are dangerous to work in and the workers are aware of that. All this equipment that is used in any energy industry is MAN made and I can assure you WILL fail at some point if not replaced or if it is off spec. You would put a ton of hard working people out of work if you decided to shut down all these plants. But we all know this will never happen, at least not in the next hundred years.

We will be refining oil sands in the next 4 to 5 years.

62

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:

[quote]Brother Chris wrote:

[quote]MaximusB wrote:
Irish,

What good does the oil do if it stays in the ground ?[/quote]

The only thing I have problem with burning fossil fuel, is the pollution. If there is no pollution, I am sure what people are worried about.[/quote]

I think that’s everyone’s concern with fossil fuel… [/quote]

The other concern is that it is an unsustainable practice. The reason I personally support the search for alternative energy is simply for the fact that oil and its relative scarcity promotes conflict.[/quote]

What conflict are you talking about?

63

There hasn’t been an major spill in the Gulf for 30 years. Ixtoc 1 happened in 1979. All in all an admirable safety record for the amount of oil they are recovering. Keep it in perspective.

65

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:

[quote]Makavali wrote:
Saying it’s only the second such accident is misleading. The scale of the accident it what you should be looking at.[/quote]
I’ll probably have to shower after typing this, but there is some truth to what Makavali says here… [/quote]

Not really, because it really is the second such accident in 21 years. The last oil spill of this size and scale in US waters was the Valdez in 1989. 21 years and billions of safely pumped barrels of oil is an outstanding record. (None of the guys reading this could repeatedly take a piss for over 21 years and not spill some of it down your leg once in awhile…sheesh)[/quote]

There hasn’t been a major terrestrial meteor strike in quite a while either, but how many on the Arizona crater level, say in Phoenix would be considered “not that bad”? An extreme example yet the point remains that at some point there can be enough damage to render a single occurrence unacceptable. I am not there, but simply stating that for me there would be a level beyond which I wouldn’t be willing to go.

66

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:

Just the obvious fact that this is already the worst oil spill since the exon valdez and could potentially be the most devastating environmental disaster in modern history. You also missed that BP doesn’t have enough money to clean this up as the price to just mitigate the spill is already at around 14 billion…

Oh, you also missed that the coast guard is hopelessly outmatched against a spill that is racing to cover the entire gulf of Mexico.

Next time wait a few days before you casually dismiss an environmental disaster like this. [/quote]

BP will be able to pay this off no problem, they make how much a year? Sure they won’t be able to fund there alternative energy research for a year or two but they will be fine.

There is always some massive enviromental desaster that is going to end the sea life/man kind as we know it, and it always gets fixed relativly quickly, they are only having problems because of the weather, when the weather settles down they will be able to get a better handle on it, and worse case it stays till hurricane season and then mother natures vacuum cleaner will take care of this mess.

Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.

Once again, drill baby drill.

68

[quote]Brother Chris wrote:

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:

[quote]Brother Chris wrote:

[quote]MaximusB wrote:
Irish,

What good does the oil do if it stays in the ground ?[/quote]

The only thing I have problem with burning fossil fuel, is the pollution. If there is no pollution, I am sure what people are worried about.[/quote]

I think that’s everyone’s concern with fossil fuel… [/quote]

The other concern is that it is an unsustainable practice. The reason I personally support the search for alternative energy is simply for the fact that oil and its relative scarcity promotes conflict.[/quote]

What conflict are you talking about?[/quote]

Nice bait. No dice, stop trying to derail the thread.

69

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.[/quote]

How are you this dumb?

70

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time.
[/quote]

Good point bro!

What I read- they were drilling especially deep- oil pressure blew out all their equipment and blew through all their safeguards, and destroyed the rig. It’s a complete structural collapse of BP’s equipment and nobody knows how much oil is being dumped, how fast, or how long it will last. It’s already set to outpace other disasters - lets hope it ends soon.

71

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.[/quote]

How are you this dumb?[/quote]

Natural oil leaks equal to 8-80 Exxon Valdez spills

Oil residue in seafloor sediments that comes from natural petroleum seeps off Santa Barbara, Calif., is equivalent to between 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, according to a new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Oil content of sediments is highest closest to the seeps and tails off with distance, creating an oil fallout shadow. The amount of oil in the sediments down current from the seeps is the equivalent of approximately 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, the study said.

WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy said Chris Farwell, the lead author of a paper on the subject and at the time an undergraduate working with UCSBâ??s Dave Valentine, â??developed and mapped out our plan for collecting sediment samples from the ocean floor. After conducting the analysis of the samples, we were able to make some spectacular findings.â??

There is an oil spill everyday at Coal Oil Point (COP), the natural seeps off Santa Barbara, where 20-25 tons of oil have leaked from the seafloor each day for the last several hundred thousand years.

Want me to post more links or will you us the “google” next time before calling someone dumb?

72

Surely you can understand the difference between a concentrated oil spill, and whatever “seeps” from the ocean floor in a diffuse way. Or maybe not.

The final impact is what matters, anyway.

73

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.[/quote]

How are you this dumb?[/quote]

Natural oil leaks equal to 8-80 Exxon Valdez spills

Oil residue in seafloor sediments that comes from natural petroleum seeps off Santa Barbara, Calif., is equivalent to between 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, according to a new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Oil content of sediments is highest closest to the seeps and tails off with distance, creating an oil fallout shadow. The amount of oil in the sediments down current from the seeps is the equivalent of approximately 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, the study said.

WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy said Chris Farwell, the lead author of a paper on the subject and at the time an undergraduate working with UCSB�¢??s Dave Valentine, �¢??developed and mapped out our plan for collecting sediment samples from the ocean floor. After conducting the analysis of the samples, we were able to make some spectacular findings.�¢??

There is an oil spill everyday at Coal Oil Point (COP), the natural seeps off Santa Barbara, where 20-25 tons of oil have leaked from the seafloor each day for the last several hundred thousand years.

Want me to post more links or will you us the “google” next time before calling someone dumb?

[/quote]

I apologize for thinking a concentrated surface based oil spill was different to deep sea oil release.

MY BAD LOLZ

74

[quote]John S. wrote:

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:
. [/quote]

BP will be able to pay this off no problem, they make how much a year? Sure they won’t be able to fund there alternative energy research for a year or two but they will be fine.

There is always some massive enviromental desaster that is going to end the sea life/man kind as we know it, and it always gets fixed relativly quickly, they are only having problems because of the weather, when the weather settles down they will be able to get a better handle on it, and worse case it stays till hurricane season and then mother natures vacuum cleaner will take care of this mess.

Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.

Once again, drill baby drill.[/quote]

Couple of things here John…

I am not concerned about BP’s profits, I know they will be just fine after all this… Ultimately this isn’t a question of money, money can’t solve a problem with insufficient man power and unpreparedness. BP could throw more money on this problem, but frankly it has nowhere to go since the idiots are still deciding how to stop the leak…

Your dismissiveness is just ridiculous, what do you mean “There is always some massive enviromental desaster blah blah”. The least you could do is acknowledge that this is a serious problem that needs tackling, this problem could be around for many years. If this spill does last until hurricane season then the likely scenario is that the majority of ecosystems, fishing industries, and people in the gulf of Mexico will have been dealt a devastating blow. You make it sound like the spill will just casually disappear on it’s own!

Your volcano comment is just irrelevant and stupid. Please, don’t bring it up again.

Lastly this problem isn’t a symptom of drilling, but it is a symptom of unpreparedness and sloppiness. This problem could have been averted if these idiots had prepared for this contingency, but they haven’t. They could have designed remotely operated underground valves or even a simple housing for the broken lines, but they didn’t. Instead we will be waiting another week for them to figure it out, and be paying for it for another 10 - 20 years.

And please, if you are going to list any more anti environmentalism rhetoric, post a link to support the bullshit.

75

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.[/quote]

How are you this dumb?[/quote]

I’m really not sure how he can be so painfully ignorant. He seems like a reasonable guy on a lot of issues except anything environmental.

76

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]John S. wrote:
Believe it or not oil seeps into the ocean naturally all the time. More enviromental damage was done with the volcano then this.[/quote]

How are you this dumb?[/quote]

Natural oil leaks equal to 8-80 Exxon Valdez spills

Oil residue in seafloor sediments that comes from natural petroleum seeps off Santa Barbara, Calif., is equivalent to between 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, according to a new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Oil content of sediments is highest closest to the seeps and tails off with distance, creating an oil fallout shadow. The amount of oil in the sediments down current from the seeps is the equivalent of approximately 8 to 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills, the study said.

WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy said Chris Farwell, the lead author of a paper on the subject and at the time an undergraduate working with UCSB�?�¢??s Dave Valentine, �?�¢??developed and mapped out our plan for collecting sediment samples from the ocean floor. After conducting the analysis of the samples, we were able to make some spectacular findings.�?�¢??

There is an oil spill everyday at Coal Oil Point (COP), the natural seeps off Santa Barbara, where 20-25 tons of oil have leaked from the seafloor each day for the last several hundred thousand years.

Want me to post more links or will you us the “google” next time before calling someone dumb?

[/quote]

I apologize for thinking a concentrated surface based oil spill was different to deep sea oil release.

MY BAD LOLZ[/quote]

It isnt really.

This has economic consequences for fishermen and the like and they should be compensated by BP but for all other purposes oil is oil and it does rise to the surface and creates problems.

77

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/03/subsea-oil-recovery-spill-bp-gulf-mexico/

BP bringing out the big guns.

78

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:

Couple of things here John…

I am not concerned about BP’s profits, I know they will be just fine after all this… Ultimately this isn’t a question of money, money can’t solve a problem with insufficient man power and unpreparedness. BP could throw more money on this problem, but frankly it has nowhere to go since the idiots are still deciding how to stop the leak…

Your dismissiveness is just ridiculous, what do you mean “There is always some massive enviromental desaster blah blah”. The least you could do is acknowledge that this is a serious problem that needs tackling, this problem could be around for many years. If this spill does last until hurricane season then the likely scenario is that the majority of ecosystems, fishing industries, and people in the gulf of Mexico will have been dealt a devastating blow. You make it sound like the spill will just casually disappear on it’s own!

Your volcano comment is just irrelevant and stupid. Please, don’t bring it up again.

Lastly this problem isn’t a symptom of drilling, but it is a symptom of unpreparedness and sloppiness. This problem could have been averted if these idiots had prepared for this contingency, but they haven’t. They could have designed remotely operated underground valves or even a simple housing for the broken lines, but they didn’t. Instead we will be waiting another week for them to figure it out, and be paying for it for another 10 - 20 years.

And please, if you are going to list any more anti environmentalism rhetoric, post a link to support the bullshit. [/quote]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/03/subsea-oil-recovery-spill-bp-gulf-mexico/

Looks like BP is on the job.

My problem with environmental disaster bullshit is it is always bullshit, first we where all going to die with global warming then it turned out to be a fraud, now the entire gulf cost is going to be destroyed because of the oil spill, it will be cleaned up some damage will be done, anyone who is affected will get paid by BP so they will be fine.

By the end of the year who is really going to care about this? The environmental nutjobs and thats about it.

I have had it up to hear with this eco nonsense, earth was here before us will be here after us.

Unlike the environmental nutjobs who’s cure for the oil problems are met with the equivalent of finding the fountain of youth I have made a thread showing where else to get oil.

Ill dismiss this because I really don’t care, BP will take care/pay for this problem so at the end of the day why should I care. People far smarter then you or I are on the job.

79

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:

There hasn’t been a major terrestrial meteor strike in quite a while either, but how many on the Arizona crater level, say in Phoenix would be considered “not that bad”? An extreme example yet the point remains that at some point there can be enough damage to render a single occurrence unacceptable. I am not there, but simply stating that for me there would be a level beyond which I wouldn’t be willing to go.

[/quote]
“Not that bad” was a quote from whom? Not me.

The fact of the matter is it is inevitable some will seize on this disaster and rally around it as a reason not to drill offshore in US waters. I say in spite of this disaster the industry has a relatively good record considering the billions/trillions of dollars worth of crude pumped out of the ground with no more major accidents than we’ve had.

I seem to recall an umpteen car pileup in the fog on a Michigan highway a few years where the loss of life was in the dozens and the injured even higher. Did the state of Michigan ban all driving on its highways after that? Why not? I would venture a guess that it’s still legal to drive in Michigan right now. Even in the fog. The point remains that at some point there can be enough damage to render a single occurrence unacceptable.[/quote]
I put “not that bad” in quotes to convey a general attitude not necessarily attributed to you and not quoting you directly. I should have made that clearer.

I say numerically speaking the safety record of the offshore drilling industry is practically miraculous. In other words I agree. Lemme ask you straight up then. Is there ANY level of crude oil flowing from man made wells in the ocean floor and into the world’s oceans that you would consider an unacceptable trade off?