If the unprecedented huge oil leak from the sunken drilling platform blackens the Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana beaches as now predicted, you won't be hearing that political mantra anytime soon.

The rig that exploded and sank was one of the newest and largest, definitely state-of-the-art. My brother, who works in the drilling pipe and fitting business in Houston, tells me this should never have happened. In fact, he explained that it couldn't happen because of the redundant automatic shut-off valves built into the pipe underwater.

But leak it did. It's still leaking 42,000 gallons a day and they're saying the slick will reach the beaches in 3 days. I'm worried about one of our favorite places, Cedar Key. Not only is the island a favorite resort destination, but about half the annual production of clams comes from the ocean within about ten miles of the island.

"Drill, baby, drill!", as a couple of candidates intoned almost daily in the 2008 elections...not likely you'll be hearing that as a campaign plank anytime soon.

Do we need a comprehensive energy policy? You betcha'.

Too easy to just jump onto a bandwagon. Anything worth it's while will have bumps in the road. Had many accidents on our way to space exploration. Too easy to throw hands in air and give up.

I believe the blowout and the failures in the automatic shutoff valves happened because of the depths (over 18,000 feet) the Deepwater Horizon rig was drilling. The temperatures and pressures are unpredictable below 10,000 feet. The depth may also hinder BP's robotic subs with efforts to shut off the valves and stopping the leaks.

My husband worked offshore on oil rigs years ago. He was an electronics expert. After President Obama spoke at a memorial service for the coal miners who lost thier lives in the West Virginia mining explosion, I asked my husband why the media or the White House hasn't made as big of a deal over the oil explosion deaths. He said, in his opinion, is because Obama made the big announcement about more oil and gas exploration and it doesn't serve his purpose to make a big deal out of the oil rig deaths.

With cap and trade legislation and the lack of support during the last Presidential Primaries and election from a Democrat state like WVa., Obama seized a political opportunity.

The White House is also not backing off the issue of green house gas emission and the money they can get from offshore drilling.

It's all pollitics.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...324530444.html

I say DRILL BABY DRILL.

would suggest eliminating flying or not flying since airplanes do crash with more frequency than oil rigs blow up! ? ! ? ! This event is what number out of how many oil rigs around the world?

Is it a political opportunity to duck the issue and for some to revel in the event and say.....SEE? Absolutely.

I would like to see Obama pursue energy independence with the same fervor he did for health care reform. The positive effect on all of America and mankind would be so much more significant...plus has the potential to put Americans back to work and show the rest of the world we know what the real priorities are instead of the political sham called Obama-care.

I say drill....not just off shore but on shore where there are significant fields not being pursued for some other political reason or not.

btk

Go Donna Go...........DRILL, DRILL, DRILL......And tell the Arabs where to go!

See this link.

http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read...the_oil_crisis

Originally Posted by BBQMan

See this link.

http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read...the_oil_crisis

So very true!!!

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

If the unprecedented huge oil leak from the sunken drilling platform blackens the Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana beaches as now predicted, you won't be hearing that political mantra anytime soon.

The rig that exploded and sank was one of the newest and largest, definitely state-of-the-art. My brother, who works in the drilling pipe and fitting business in Houston, tells me this should never have happened. In fact, he explained that it couldn't happen because of the redundant automatic shut-off valves built into the pipe underwater.

But leak it did. It's still leaking 42,000 gallons a day and they're saying the slick will reach the beaches in 3 days. I'm worried about one of our favorite places, Cedar Key. Not only is the island a favorite resort destination, but about half the annual production of clams comes from the ocean within about ten miles of the island.

"Drill, baby, drill!", as a couple of candidates intoned almost daily in the 2008 elections...not likely you'll be hearing that as a campaign plank anytime soon.

Do we need a comprehensive energy policy? You betcha'.

Chit happens. We should have outlawed planes, trains and automobiles for all the people they have killed.

Comprehensive energy plan? We certainly do not need any comprehensive energy policy that this regime would pass.

Yoda

This is going to be worst environmental disaster in history....this thread kind of reminds me of Caesar fiddling while Rome burned.

I wasn't actually there but I did study it in school.

It's Obama's fault too, it happened on his watch. He should have been more alert to safety and fail safes on oil rigs. Obama wants to ramp up off shore drilling and he lead us to believe it was safe, now look what happened. Talk about being in bed with big oil...

Hey, that was kind of fun.

Seriously though, accidents happen. No way around it and it will happen again some day. Just like the Exxon Valdez spill, it will get cleaned up, nature will takes it's course and that will be the end of that.

I think it's horrific when something happens that hurts the environment and then takes another terrible hit on the economy of a vast area. Animals and all forms of wildlife are injured and even killed. What a tragedy. This could even have a dramatic affect on people's health. Who knows the actual far reaching toll it will take on people. It will take some time for things to even begin to get back to normal. But it will. Nature does have a way of taking care of things, it may take awhile, but the effects of the volcano in the Icelandic area or Eyjafjallajoekull will settle down eventually.

Originally Posted by cologal

This is going to be worst environmental disaster in history....this thread kind of reminds me of Caesar fiddling while Rome burned.

I wasn't actually there but I did study it in school.

You weren't? Now I a disappointed. Seriously, while I agree that this a disaster, we need to be careful not to let overblown media magnify it beyond what actually occurs. This reminds me of the many around the clock stories on hurricanes when nothing of the sort was justified. The oil, in this case, is light crude as opposed to the heavy, almost tar like discharge from the Exxon Valdeze. This will make cleanup easier and quicker.

This does not mark the death of the sea life in the affected area. It will come back just as it did in Alaska and Spain. As for drilling off the Florida coast, this should not be a factor. The eastern Gulf supplies natural gas not oil. If you doubt this look at all the platforms south of Alabama. All natural gas.

While we must do everything necessary to stop the flow of oil and clean up the damage, we should not lose track of this nation's need for energy independence.

Originally Posted by BBQMan

...while I agree that this a disaster, we need to be careful not to let overblown media magnify it beyond what actually occurs. This reminds me of the many around the clock stories on hurricanes when nothing of the sort was justified. The oil, in this case, is light crude as opposed to the heavy, almost tar like discharge from the Exxon Valdeze. This will make cleanup easier and quicker.

This does not mark the death of the sea life in the affected area. It will come back just as it did in Alaska and Spain. As for drilling off the Florida coast, this should not be a factor. The eastern Gulf supplies natural gas not oil. If you doubt this look at all the platforms south of Alabama. All natural gas.

While we must do everything necessary to stop the flow of oil and clean up the damage, we should not lose track of this nation's need for energy independence.

I agree, with one exception.

The U.S. Department of the Interior establishes the regulations for the construction, placement, operation and inspection of "U.S.-flagged" drill rigs. I've read articles recently--sorry, I can't provide a link--that the regulatory requirements for blowout protection and mediation are less restrictive on rigs close to our coasts than in other parts of the developed world. The lesser regulatory requirements substantially reduce the cost of the construction and operation of oil rigs close to our coastlines.

How that happened would take a lot of study, I'm sure. Unfortunately in our system, the influence of big oil lobbyists immediately comes to mind.

Whether or not such additional regulatory protections might have avoided or mitigated the current disaster remains to be investigated and reported on. But at the very least, rigs which present a threat to our coastlines should be regulated at least as well as those in other countries.

based fossil fuels.

I know, how about spending a few billion $$$ on research to be 100% oil free in 20 years? All the nay sayers will jump front and center and say it can't be done in 20 years. Well if it had the same emphasis of need as did the Obama need for health care reform....it can and will happen. It will not only put us strategically in the right direction it will create untold new jobs.....and maybe as importantly allow us to attain world leadership again.

Now just why is it not many are in support of this approach? Maybe when gas hits $4++++ per gallon it will be a priority for fickle Americans and politicians trying to sooth them......too....too bad.

btk