Offshore-Drilling, Environment Impact News and Information

Grant Gerver asked:




That British Petroleum Oil Spill flooding the Gulf Coast, and who knows where else, is the ultimate analogy for our life and times: Man is fouling absolutely everything. Whatever he touches turns to, well, you know where I’m going with this. If man’s actions aren’t decimating our Nation’s oceans, they’re fouling the economy, big time. If we aren’t bailing out the richest of the rich so they can “do it to us” one more time, we’re spending trillions trying to make Middle Eastern countries more like America.

Man has poisoned the skies with the gasoline engine, the food supply with unending additives by way of lax regulation and inhumane growing and breeding practices, and crowded the Earth with far too many people. Add it all together and you have the perfect storm of greed + Global Warming + a million other factors + overall human discontent, and yeah, it may take an asteroid to sort it all out.

Man has long ignored Nature hoping she’ll just turn the other cheek. But, she’s far too smart and powerful to fall for that con. You can only scam Mother Nature so much before she makes a mockery of Mankind once and for all. While I am not an Evangelical Armageddon Apocalyptic kinda’ guy, you have to wonder when the natural forces upon the Earth will revolt. Payback time could get quite ugly. We are already seeing the results of this front and center. But, we just never seem to get the message.

Man created this deluge of phenomenal disregard and disastrous consequences with a total disdain for mankind itself. And, Man is the only one who can turn it around, or die trying. Good luck with that, Man.

As for me, I’m going off to watch the NBA playoffs, which are themselves a fitting tribute to the greedy world of professional sports. But unfortunately, man also has “playoff hormones” to contend with which kick in at the damnedest times.

William H Watson asked:




The Obama administration has decided to pursue charges against BP for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Is this a good thing? I wonder if they will charge any of the government regulators with crimes? If BP broke the law it had to be with the help of people within government agencies charged with overseeing oil drilling operations.

BP employs over 80,000 Americans and has already lost $75 billion in value on the stock market. The cost of the clean-up with the inevitable parade of civil lawsuits is going to lead them into financial hell and maybe even bankruptcy. Why does Obama want to prosecute on top of the coming lawsuits?

I think the real issue here is that BP represents what the political left hates the most – a big oil company making big profit. With the ridiculous number of laws on the books, the government can punish whoever they choose. 40% of Americans will enjoy watching BP being punished.

Should their crime be compared to a drunk driver killing a kid on a bicycle, or getting a ticket for rolling through a stop sign? Will the government seek to imprison BP executives or just confiscate their money?

We can certainly expect less drilling and higher oil prices in the future. Other big oil companies should fear the long arm of the law as the government will be coming for them, too. 40% of the drilling in the gulf is done by foreign countries, including China and Cuba. I wonder if Obama will go after them?

The left will brag about how great it will be to run our cars on algae and electricity, while the economy goes the way of BP. Whether we like it or not, our economy is an oil based economy. Giving up oil is tantamount to giving up our way of life. Some even celebrate that possibility.

The government is doing it’s best to outlaw all accidents turning personal tragedy into goldmines for the lawyers. This may all come down to something as small as a 6 inch bolt being used in place of a 3 inch bolt. The bolt broke under unrealized pressure from being under a mile of water. One of the men who died on the rig may have put the bolt there thinking everything was fine.

Do you believe the executives sitting in a boardroom in London are actually agreeing to reduce oil drilling safety and standards to make more money? The government is utterly incompetent in dealing with this. At this point, it would not surprise me to see the government take over BP.

I believe in a free market. BP will have to face customers, shareholders, and lawsuits as part of the capitalist system. This will be the best response to any guilt that BP may have.

It’s time for cooler heads to prevail.

Taren Coleman asked:




In recent weeks, the British Petroleum (BP) oil disaster in the Gulf has consumed our attention, tugged at our heart strings and elevated our social consciousness.

Perhaps just as disturbing as the images of the oil gushing into open waters is the seemingly haphazard approach BP has taken in trying to contain this disaster. Their “contingency” plan was obviously flawed and because of that the direct and indirect collateral damage may take years to realize.

So, what does the Gulf oil spill have to do with your financial life? Figuratively speaking, it can serve as an example to us, a lesson to be re-learned: Risk is real and it should be managed, not ignored.

Our financial lives are subject to known and unforeseen risks every day. And, although we can’t eliminate risk altogether, we can and should build our own air-tight contingency plan to reduce the impact or minimize the damage.

Here are a few risk-reducing strategies to help protect you and your family:

**Organize Your Family Records

Where are all of your important papers?

Your vital documents include personal and financial records such as marriage certificates, birth/death records, insurance policies, tax returns, wills, property records, passports, etc.

Compiling all of these essential life documents in a central location – like a personal records organizer – can save you and your family time, money and unnecessary stress. These important records may be needed for filing insurance claims, obtaining benefits, receiving medical treatment or carrying out legal instructions in case of emergency, death or disability.

It’s important to take an inventory of all of your records. Create a master list of all of the originals and make sure there are copies of each. Keep your originals secured in a safety deposit box or fireproof lockbox at home. Provide a copy of your master list and documents to a family member and/or attorney.

**Review Beneficiary Designations

Are the people currently listed as beneficiaries on your various financial accounts appropriate for your needs and wishes?

The beneficiary designation outlines to whom your assets will be distributed upon your death. (Regardless of whether or not you have a will, beneficiary designations are required for legal contracts including insurance policies and retirement accounts.)

With life sometimes moving at the speed of light, family changes occur – birth, illness, death, marriage or divorce – and sometimes we forget to update our important legal documents. Review your bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans and insurance policies to ensure your beneficiary designations are up-to-date. Any changes to your designations must be in writing to your financial institutions.

**Review Your Insurance Coverage

Do you have enough insurance?

You need to know you and your family are protected before something happens.

Financial catastrophe may come in many different forms – the destruction of your property (think tornado, flood), the inability to work because of injury or illness, or the death of the family breadwinner.

Review your current insurance policies- life, disability, long term care, auto, homeowners and umbrella. Are the coverage amounts adequate to protect your family, not just for today, but for the long term? If you only carry coverage through your employer, consider personal policies to keep you protected if you change jobs.

If you need help determining proper insurance amounts talk to your agent or visit the website lifehappens.org for descriptions, calculators and more.

**Update Your Estate Plan Documents

Do your loved ones know your wishes in the event you can’t speak for yourself or you pass away?

Everyone has an estate. Your estate planning documents provide instructions for the disposition of your assets upon death, establish guardianship for your children and/or appoint someone to represent you if you become incapacitated. If you don’t do the planning yourself, the state in which you live will essentially do the planning for you – according to state law.

Your documents should be reviewed regularly and each time there are critical life changes: retirement; moving to another state; marriage; divorce; new children; death of a spouse, etc.

In addition to a will, basic estate planning documents include medical directives such as:

Living will: You specify treatment you want to receive if you cannot speak for yourself.

Durable healthcare power of attorney: You appoint someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf when you cannot.

Estate planning does not have to be a daunting task. There are online resources that are helpful for getting started. Please consult a legal professional for specific advice.

Who pays the price when you or those closest to you fail to adequately manage risk?

We can’t predict the future, but we can take the time now to prepare our personal “contingency” plan for the many financial risks swirling around us that we cannot control.

Take some time this summer to get your financial house in order and learn a lesson from the BP oil disaster: A little planning now can make a big difference later.

dannyhuntca asked:

BP Oil Spill – Crude Oil Benzene and Mercury from Countdown 06302010

Butterflyleaf123123 asked:

please send this video to all your friends subscribers and everyone else

Walter Jacobson asked:




Although it’s not clear to me what the cause or causes are of the catastrophic BP oil spill, there have been several explanations for it which would suggest that it wasn’t simply an accident, but rather an event that might have been avoided.

One article I read suggested that some sort of oil leak cut-off system could have been put into place but wasn’t because it would have required time and money, two commodities the oil executives were not interested in expending.

Another article suggested that more research was necessary in regard to oil drilling at the depths involved, but this, too, would have cost more time and money, with decreased profits in the process.

Neither of these scenarios may be true. Nonetheless, the overall impression I’ve gotten from the articles I’ve read is that BP was more interested in profits than safety, and that this “accident” was more a function of corporate convenience, corporate greed, corporate irresponsibility, and corporate shortsightedness more than anything else.

If this is true, then there is a clear take-home message for all of us: Whether we are developing a career or a product, it behooves us, before putting the career and product out there, to pay close attention and make wise choices.

We don’t cut corners. We do our homework. We do the research. We explore all options. We do our due diligence to make sure that what we are doing will benefit and not harm. We spend the time and money necessary to do it safely and to do it right, so that we’ve put our best foot forward and we don’t end up with a catastrophe or crisis that is damaging to ourselves or to others.

It is wise to do these things even if it pushes back our launch dates and reduces our profit margin, because we may discover flaws and inconsistencies which we may be able to correct and adjust for, saving ourselves a lot of money and aggravation in the future which could cripple our goals and profits in the long run.

WHAT ABOUT OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS?

The same advice applies: We need to take our time. We need to pay attention. We need to do the research. We need to look before we leap.

The divorce rate is so high and many relationships are so unsatisfying because we don’t do these things. When we meet someone “special” for the first time, there is an infatuation, there is chemistry, there is exhilaration, there are hormones jumping every which way. We feel energized and vitalized, overwhelmed with joy, excitement and sexuality.

When we look into the eyes and face of someone who is as excited about us as we are about them, it makes us feel excited about ourselves. We see our idealized self in the smiling face looking back at us, and all of this contributes to our jumping into bed and jumping into relationships prematurely.

So caught up in the immediate gratification of the moment, we don’t consider the long-term consequences. We don’t take the time to do our due diligence. We don’t take the time to discover the real fabric of the person we have become intimately involved with.

Oftentimes, we see the red flags and warning signs that suggest to us that maybe we shouldn’t go down that road, but because we are so enamored, so exhilarated, so charged up with infatuation, chemistry and lust, and having, perhaps, been lonely for a very long time prior to meeting this person, we look the other way, our common sense and intuition go out the window and we sweep the red flags under the rug.

Eventually, sooner or later, the chickens come home to roost. When the chemistry settles down and the infatuation goes away, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions.

Who are these people? What do they really stand for? Do they really care about us? Do they care more about themselves? Are they loyal and trustworthy companions?

All the questions that should have been asked at the beginning are asked after we have committed a great deal of time, money and energy to the relationship.

THE SOLUTION IS DELAYED GRATIFICATION

Taking the time to see what’s actually going on before making a commitment is the critical component. We tend not to do this because we are afraid to confront those red flags, to challenge our newly-found partners to explain themselves, to define their ideologies, to detail their backgrounds and previous relationships, for fear that they may get defensive or angry, that they may go away, or that they may tell us something that will be so obvious we will not be able to ignore it and it will force us to go away.

Bottom line: it’s best we have the courage to ask these questions before getting involved in a relationship, even if it means our loneliness will linger longer, because it will serve us well in the long run and provide us with the opportunity of finding someone who is worthy of our love and capable of providing us with a stable relationship based on mutual respect and consideration which will sustain us until our end of days.

bandgarddotcom asked:

I did this animation using Flash and incredible pictures from the oil spill. I made up the song in the background as well. If you really want the song, it is available on iTunes at: : itunes.apple.com and on Amazon at: www.amazon.com

David Lorango asked:




Take a look at some of the comments over on the Wall Street Journal regarding the BP oil spill. You will notice certain trends, but the most glaring among them is this: the government failed to adequately regulate the oil industry.

That’s right. The government failed to regulate the oil industry.

Excuse me if I’m missing something, but I assumed that the “drill, baby, drill” slogan was about the government NOT regulating the oil industry.

Let us get things straight. Offshore oil drilling, with or without regulation, is not safe. To continue to believe it to be a secure way to drill for oil is a flight of fancy that will only have disaster at its core. The BP oil spill, while a tragedy, would still occur even with proper regulations.

What could the government have done? Well, for those who believe government regulation is necessary, the federal government has clearly failed as regulatory overseers. For the last 20 years, regulation has been ceded to the oil industry. Despite President Obama’s cries against the oil industry, his team has done little to remedy the situation. And, in a blow to progressives, the president actually planned to extend offshore oil drilling.

The problem we have here is one of deep hypocrisy. Americans can not both hate regulation and then wonder where the government was when companies fail to regulate themselves.

This is why America needs to come to a consensus on the role government must play in their lives. The BP oil spill shows that we do need regulation. Even those who were anti-regulation now agree that some form of regulation in necessary.

But we also must define the boundaries of government regulation. Hyperbole and insane rhetoric will not solve crises. Hating President Bush, President Obama, or blaming Ronald Reagan will not answer the question: how big do we want our government?

Let’s start discussing these questions. In the mean time, there should be no more “anti-regulation’ rhetoric. And for those who wish to blame the government for their lack of response, realize that you’re angry because you believe in government, not because you don’t.

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Brian H Campbell asked:




President Obama received immediate criticism concerning the oil spill from many trying to politicise the oil spill catastrophe. I was not one of them. Though caused be BP PLC, this criticism came for the most part from various Republicans. It sickened me to see a lengthy report on the oil spill where BP was not even in question about its responsibility. A matter of fact the TV talk host defended BP saying, “BP has been there from day one.”

BP PLC Continued Coverup

Sure from day one, BP has covered up the true magnitude of the oil spill thereby denying Gulf Coast States the chance to fend off an environmental catastrophe. That is right. Because if the truth of the magnitude was known definitive action plans could have been implemented much sooner.

That being said, once it was apparent BP was inept at handling the oil spill President Obama had the responsibility to do everything in his power to stop the oil from reaching the Gulf States shorelines. It was obvious within hours of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that drastic measures had to be taken.

BP was putting a spin on the evolving environmental catastrophe from day one and still after 50 days continues to deceive the world. President Obama should have recognized this instead of over analyzing his options. As an over analyzer President Obama is hurting Americans, endangering our national security and allowing an environmental catastrophe unprecedented in U.S. history. If you’re house is on fire, you do not sit down at the kitchen table and write down what the best plan of action is or what the most cost effective option is. You put it out.

I have a plan, most of which came within days of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. If I was President this plan would have been implemented with immediate action as to prevent most of the oil from reaching our beautiful shores, marshes and wetlands.

One of my favorite sayings is talk is cheap. So here is my plan along with President Obama’s response. Keep in mind my plan was in foresight anticipating the impending disaster if action was not taken IMMEDIATELY.

1. My Response: Immediately call leaders, BP PLC and other oil companies from around the world to get oil skimmers and tankers that hold vast amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico ASAP.

President Obama’s Response: Turn down 15 of 17 countries who offered help that would have captured oil BEFORE it reached the Gulf Coast.

2. My Response: Talk with other leading oil companies to get their ideas and advice and find out who has the best technologies in the world to deal with a problem of this magnitude. No one company holds all the best technology in any field of business. I would not put all of our nations hope or eggs in one basket (BP), concerning a crisis of this magnitude.

President Obama’s Response: Depends on BP to solve the whole problem specifically stating he was in charge but BP had the technology to fix the problem.

3. My Response: First Line of Defense – My main priority would be to capture oil at the point it rises to the Gulf waters surface. Every available tanker and skimmer would be put into service from countries around the world. Even knowing the tankers and skimmers could take many days to reach the Gulf of Mexico, this is all the more reason to get them leaving for their destination IMMEDIATELY. Also, BP PLC would be forced to put into action their Emergency Response Plan for the Gulf of Mexico submitted to Federal Regulators in 2008. I would not allow BP to just say they did, they would be monitored. Especially since the 2008 plan claimed BP could handle an oil spill of several million gallons per day.

President Obama’s Response: Still saying BP has the best technology to handle the oil spill. Limited amount of tankers and skimmers as first response – with many boats not equipped to handle an oil spill. By trusting BP and not properly assessing the potential catastrophic environmental impact of the leak, President Obama lacked foresight.

4. My Response: Second Line of Defense – I would designate an “Environmental Response Team” to organize the Coast Guard, National Guard and other services to set up a second line of defense. This second line would be a massive amount of boats and ships including skimmers that would be positioned behind the first line of defense. Boats and ships without skimming equipment would be equipped with other means of collecting or soaking up the oil. Giant hair balls, heavy nets, floating oil captures, anything that would collect oil BEFORE it reached our pristine coastlines would be put into play.

President Obama’s Response: “I want you to know that the oil spill is on my mind from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed” – not stating any significant plan of action.

5. My Response: Third Line of Defense – 500,000 U.S. citizens would be hired at $22.00 per hour, with first approximately 250,000 coming from the Gulf States. This would provide immediate income to those who are trying to save their livelihoods from any impending disaster. Also, this large amount of hired help will be needed to build and place oil filtering and sand filtering devices at a fast pace.

President Obama’s Response: May 27, 2010 “If they ( The Army Corps of Engineers) have a disagreement with Governor Jindal’s experts as to whether this would be effective or “Cost Effective” given the other things that need to be done, then we will sit down and try to figure that out.

6. My Response: Meeting and talking with all the Governors of all the Gulf States to see what they need in addition to my timely response. Many of these needs would have already been met such as Louisiana Governor Jindal’s request for the permits to build the sand booms.

President Obama’s Response: Governor Jindal and other leaders request before the oil reached their shores, marshes and wetlands were delayed or denied. This resulted in catastrophic economical and environmental damage.

7. My Response: Re-evaluate the placement of the 500,000 workers that were hired during the past month, starting May 1, 2010. With this many oil stoppers positioned at wetlands, marshes and our shorelines very little oil would make it to the coastlines. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? YES, when you consider the alternative it is some of the best money ever spent on our great nation.

President Obama’s Response: May 28, 2010 – Four weeks later Obama said he would triple the manpower when oil HAS (already) come to shore or looks like it will within the next 24 hours. Too little – too late. May 29, 2010 Obama says 20,000 people have already been deployed to contain and clean up the spill. Too little – too late again.

8. My Response: Personal meetings 4-8 hours per day, 5 days a week as time and duties permit, with inventors, engineers and other intellectuals in and out of the oil industry. Many workable plans will be put into place. I absolutely would not depend on one company, especially one that mislead me and the American people as to the vast amount of the oil leakage. Also, in light of BP’s “Emergency Response Plan” that falsely stated BP’s ability to handle a larger spill, I would move at a furious fast pace to prevent an impending disaster. BP will continue to try and stop the leak but I will not stop at trying every viable solution available – including Kevin Costner and his brothers idea.

President Obama’s Response: Also says he will look at ideas from any source. But he either takes to long while over analyzing if their effective or “Cost Effective” or goes on vacation-golfing while the environment and peoples livelihoods are being destroyed.