Sunday, July 18, 2010

BP's crap shoot

They say it looks like dog poop, the tar balls that have washed up on the white sugar sands of the Florida coast. See the layer of oil covered in sand, covered with more oil in this photo?
It is gooey, stinky & sticky. Just how is BP going to clean this up?
The latest news is the pressure dropped on the new cap seems unstable, although they are being awful quiet, which means trouble. There are rumblings of them resuming the tanker suck plan (see I can make up creative names too!). 


 It could mean that capping the well as they did, may wind up creating a geological blowout that would literally rip open the ground, resulting in a new & worse gush.  Of course we all hope that does not happen. 


We realize what a grand experiment this is. The latest news as reported by MSNBC:



Methane might be escaping through cracks in the seafloor, the source said, and that could be a sign of leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days as part of a test of its integrity.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement about the next steps had not been made yet. Testing had been extended until 4 p.m. ET Sunday, but that came and went without any word on whether it would continue even longer.
The official is familiar with the spill oversight, but would not clarify what is seeping near the well. The official says BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring.
The official said National Incident Commander Thad Allen would issue a letter to BP shortly allowing testing to proceed in 24-hour increments, but also requiring more analysis of the seep and the possible observation of methane over the well.
If Allen doesn't get the response he wants, the testing could stop, the official said."
What? BP is not complying??? Make then go to the crude sucking method before the whole thing blows! There  should be ZERO chance for BP to not comply.  WTF!!!???





It makes the US look like fools for not only allowing BP to drill recklessly, but to also allow them to  dump over 1.4 million gallons of chemicals into the water. BP would not be allowed to use Corexit in their own home country. The UK has banned the use of Corexit for a decade. 




Besides putting oil on the shores of 5 States in the Gulf, the wildlife death toll increases:
Collected Dead:
Birds- 2283
Sea Turtles- 472
Mammals- Including Dolphins - 62

To coin their own phrase.... "Making this right" seems fictional. What a load!
                                    

7 comments:

nonnie9999 said...

i'm thinking it might be better to collect the oil rather than letting all that pressure build up. whatever money they make from the oil collected should go to cleaning up the mess they made.

Fran said...

Well I guess the main problem with the "crude suck up" program is then we'd all know for sure how much was coming out. They will get fined per barrel.
Looks like there might be a conflict of interest.

But seriously from what I have read, the pressure is running low, meaning there is leaking or seeping going on. Don;t risk another blowout or a greater degree.... or methane buildup in the Gulf.

Enough blunder already!!!

They had better do what the Coast Guard says or face huge fines like they have never seen before.

Throw Suttles in the slammer & put handcuffs on Tony Hayward.

lisahgolden said...

It's all so heartbreaking and was avoidable. (insert expletive here)

D.K. Raed said...

today I see the seep is 2-miles away from the well. that could mean a massive blow-up if the whole 2-mile line fills up with methane under capped pressure. but not to worry, BP says, the relief well lines are "amost there". where will the methane go and why do I get a sinking feeling everytime BP reassures us?

Cuba wants to deepwater drill 40-miles off its NW coast where the prevailing current goes straight to florida, and they're not in any mood to listen to us about why they should not. Jeez, we're not even successful as a bad example anymore.

ps, great pic of "indian paintrbrush" at the Cedar Breaks! we're hoping to go up this week, escaping the 113-degree heatwave.

Fran said...

Lisa~ Yes Maam! We've got the expletives going on here......

DK ~ You nailed it- not even successful as a bad example anymore.

What they are doing should be done by the book. No short cuts. No more hedging bets.
The pressure is not up to snuff, so shut the test down, which means open up the vents & let them collect the oil-- both because we want real numbers of how much to fine them, and because we should not risk anything more going wrong.

Leave no margin for error.
BP wants the good PR & again the government agency seems to have no spine. This testing was supposed to be done on Saturday & they are still granting extensions.

For cripes sake! collect the oil & don't gamble with IF maybe something might go wrong. They knew all along this is a "gassy" well, and they had specific numbers in mind that they thought were acceptable.
More time.... for more screw ups?
For a really BIG screw up?
Have they even thought this might backfire into the 2 relief wells?

Nah! They are too big to fail. Nothing like a deadly explosion might happen....
Right?

Life As I Know It Now said...

The US government yelled at BP today before backing down once again. Does that make you feel any better?
:P

Fran said...

Lib~ No spine. I just fired off an e mail to the White House imploring them to stop this extension experiment. We need to make a fuss & push for them to do the right thing.