Robbo, you make a very good point. We need answers, we need regulations, and we need an international body free from influence by big corporations to oversee the safety of such risky ventures that threaten the livelihood of millions.
Just to put matters in perspective, the top 5 largest oil companies made $23 billion in profits (not revenue), in just one quarter. Compare this $23 billion in profit per quarter to the $1 billion that was spent in total by both parties in the US Presidential elections.
Big oil has enough money to buy out both sides. It is chump change to them. Do you think the puny Mineral Management Service stand any chance of being an effective regulatory agency?
MMS is nothing but a rubber stamp for Big Oil. MMS has been reduced to being nothing but their cheerleader and PR agency.
The Oil Drum has an excellent thread detailing the causes that led to the Deepwater Horizon Blowout.
http://tinyurl.com/27yhyox Everything that went wrong was a result of a cascading series of willful negligence where warning signs were ignored in favor of cost cutting measures.
Yet, when Tony Hayword, CEO of BP was asked in front to Congress to be forthright, come clean and answer a few direct question, he stonewalled and evaded with his classic defense I do not recall
I was not responsible
I cannot discuss the details
Beyond Pathetic.
Here are some clips:
http://tinyurl.com/269kvmq http://tinyurl.com/24m4mff http://tinyurl.com/2bmj27l While Big Oil and their shareholders are living their big life with $23 billion in profits per quarter, the entire $2.2 Trillion dollar Gulf Economy is going to the gutters.
Watch these 14 slides to see the economic and environmental impact to the 5 Gulf States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
http://tinyurl.com/2auaef3 The Guardian published a heartfelt article by Naomi Klein on Saturday. Naomi explains the whole saga behind the Gulf Oil Spill and focuses on the human element behind the tragedy.
At the end of this article, there is a short 20 minute video that informs the viewers what the local residents have to say, how their hopes and dreams have been dashed, how their environment has been polluted, their bodies poisoned.
http://tinyurl.com/25tyz4p In the 60 days since the rig exploded, an enormous amount of information has been assimilated by various websites. Here is the most detailed documentation I have found on the Deepwater Horizon. This is a master reference to the spill related activities.
This document has dozens of pictures and schematic diagrams explaining the technical aspects.
http://tinyurl.com/22su84a Wikipedia is also doing a good job keeping up with the facts as they are surfacing:
http://tinyurl.com/265vh38 The History Channel ran a series on Mega Disasters.
Dr. Gregory Ryskin of Northwestern University has a theory of how Methane Explosions have originated in the oceans several times in the past. He explains how Methane Eruptions were responsible for mass extinctions eradicating 95% of all species from the face of the earth.
Deep pockets in the ocean allow methane to accumulate over long periods of time. A trigger event releases the deadly storm of methane bubbles with the explosive force of a nuclear bomb.
A similar event was witnessed in a small lake in Africa.
Here is a short 5-minute clip showing what could happen in a Methane Explosion.
http://tinyurl.com/27ew7ac If Methane levels continue to increase around the Gulf Coast, all inhabitants will be asked to evacuate. FEMA will not be able to handle the evacuation of 8 to 10 million people along the coastal regions. They ran short of resources while dealing with Hurricane Katrina over New Orleans.
[This message has been edited by Tapas (edited 06-20-2010).]
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