Kaztronic
Pirate
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 5981
An extremely troubling aspect to this oil rig disaster has been the governments seemingly routine waivers regarding compliance with environmental policies at these oil rigs - this very same oil rig platform was exempted just one month ago.
More troubling is the fact that SINCE the disaster at this rig took place, the government has continued this policy of exemptions on environmental impact studies.
It's mind boggling. What is the point of environmental regulations if they are not going to be enforced? I am a BIG supporter of expanding our use of nuclear energy, but I don't ever want to hear about the government exempting such facilities from environmental studies because it is deemed redundant, or their is a perceived lack of danger.
And screw the party affiliation crap, this is happening now with the Obama Administration, it would have happened under a McCain Administration, and it most likely happened under Bush and Clinton as well. Lobbying dollars are coming out ahead of our interests, and it doesn't matter one bit who is in power - both parties have been gluttons for corporate dollars for too long to differentiate them on matters such as this.
Washington Post
McClatchyDC.com
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"You'll get used to my babbling, all the other's have." - Anna Madrigal from "Tales Of The City" by Armistead Maupin
Last edited by Kaztronic on 05-12-2010 at 10:01 PM
Old Post 05-12-2010 09:34 PM
Linnea
moderator
Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Cascadia
Posts: 13745
Agree, agree and agree. For the record here, I mentioned Cheney/Halliburton whom I believe are villainous no matter what the party affiliation. It's the big oil, big corporation connection. The influence on government, no matter who heads it up, is undeniable.
Old Post 05-12-2010 09:43 PM
SETIsLady
Pirate
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: SE Florida
Posts: 18003
None of this offshore drilling is going to Americans, from what I understand not a drop. Many are at fault, but efforts should be made to clean this mess up and then point fingers. Speaking as a Floridian, we are already losing business even though I was swimming in the ocean 3 days ago. 15 yrs of petitions and phones calls for me down the drain as I fight to speak for the wild life that has no voice. I am just sickened.
Old Post 05-12-2010 09:52 PM
Kaztronic
Pirate
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 5981
Totally agree with you about Halliburton Linnea (and obviously on the influence of corporate money on our elected officials), not that it is related to this thread, but I was angry as hell to find out that the Pentagon just gave them ANOTHER no-bid contract in Iraq, this time for $500 million.
While I understand the generals over there saying it would be disruptive to have another company come in and take over at this late stage, I frankly don't give a hoot - it's a matter of principle. Halliburton is a prime example of everything that went wrong with the previous Administrations handling of their military affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we need to be done with them.
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"You'll get used to my babbling, all the other's have." - Anna Madrigal from "Tales Of The City" by Armistead Maupin
Last edited by Kaztronic on 05-12-2010 at 10:10 PM
Old Post 05-12-2010 09:59 PM
Cherry Kelly
Pirate
Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Belton, MO USA
Posts: 10452
A new rig - cap is in the Gulf - maybe this one will work...sure hope so.
===
The main company Halliburton has several subsidiaries who have been key in cleaning up oil spills. According to info they did exactly what they were hired to do by BP - ergo let's put the blame on BP where it belongs.
BTW found contracts with US gov't going back to 1996 (quick search) and have not had time to go back further...they've been around a long time ehh?
Old Post 05-13-2010 07:32 AM
Kaztronic
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Registered: Jul 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 5981
CK, do you feel some kind of overwhelming need to defend any entity that might be tied to Republicans in a negative way?
Sometimes I think that you and Rombaldi deserve each other.
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"You'll get used to my babbling, all the other's have." - Anna Madrigal from "Tales Of The City" by Armistead Maupin
Last edited by Kaztronic on 05-13-2010 at 09:39 PM
Old Post 05-13-2010 09:29 PM
Kaztronic
Pirate
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 5981
Here is what I would like to know:
It's becoming increasingly apparent that BP continues to hold back information about the extent of the oil leak, thus far they have proven ineffective in stopping the leak as well. How much credibility can they possibly have on this issue? And at what point will our government step the hell up and take over the process of stopping this leak?
If we are incapable of stopping the leak ourselves, surely we could very quickly gather together a strong group of experts from multiple oil companies, and oil rig experts to rally to offer solutions to stopping this leak. Perhaps the government should stop talking about the monetary cost of this disaster for 5 minutes and plug the damn leak first? There are moments where that seems to be the biggest concern here - who will pay for the clean-up costs? We're not there yet!
To that end, given the magnitude of the disaster before us, why the hell are we turning away foreign offers of assistance? So far nothing is working, at what point do we allow experts from other nations to get involved and give us a hand?
It appears clear that the branches of the government working on this crisis are working hard - but are they working smart?
NY Times
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"You'll get used to my babbling, all the other's have." - Anna Madrigal from "Tales Of The City" by Armistead Maupin
Last edited by Kaztronic on 05-13-2010 at 09:41 PM
Old Post 05-13-2010 09:38 PM
Rombaldi
Call Me "Hussein"
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Democratic Underground
Posts: 9558
How bad could this get?
Story from SLASHDOT, go over there and follow the links
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/...ario?art_pos=10
"Here's a listing of several scientific and economic guides for estimating the volume of flow of the leak in the Gulf of Mexico erupting at a rate of somewhere around 1 million barrels per day. A new video released shows the largest hole spewing oil and natural gas from an aperture 5 feet in diameter at a rate of approximately 4 barrels per second. The oil coming up through 5,000 feet of pressurized salt water acts like a fractionating column. What you see on the surface is just around 20% of what is actually underneath the approximate 9,000 square miles of slick on the surface. The natural gas doesn't bubble to the top but gets suspended in the water, depleting the oxygen from the water. BP would not have been celebrating with execs on the rig just prior to the explosion if it had not been capable producing at least 500,000 barrels per day — under control. If the rock gave way due to the out-of-control gushing (or due to a nuke being detonated to contain the leak), it could become a Yellowstone Caldera type event, except from below a mile of sea, with a 1/4-mile opening, with up to 150,000 psi of oil and natural gas behind it, from a reserve nearly as large as the Gulf of Mexico containing trillions of barrels of oil. That would be an Earth extinction event."
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"The GOP Motto for the 2010/2011/2012 elections... BRING BACK PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND THE DONUT HOLE!"
Old Post 05-14-2010 12:59 AM
Rombaldi
Call Me "Hussein"
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Democratic Underground
Posts: 9558
quote:Originally posted by Kaztronic
CK, do you feel some kind of overwhelming need to defend any entity that might be tied to Republicans in a negative way?
She gets her morning talking points and does what she's told...
quote:Sometimes I think that you and Rombaldi deserve each other.
Oi! 'nuff of that now...
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"The GOP Motto for the 2010/2011/2012 elections... BRING BACK PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND THE DONUT HOLE!"
Old Post 05-14-2010 01:00 AM