Oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the well beneath where a British Petroleum (BP) drilling rig exploded. Oil is spilling into the sea at the rate of 5,000 barrels a day, a rate five times greater than earlier estimates. The spill is an ecological and economic disaster, and will destroy beaches, estuaries, marshlands and wildlife. Gulf Coast fishing and tourism industries will be crippled. Eleven workers died in the April 20 explosion on the oil rig. BP out and out lied about the extent of the spill. A new leak has been found close to the wellhead.
The ecological disaster comes at a time that President Obama wants to lift the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling along wide portions of the US coast. The White House is holding firm on its plans for opening US coastal waters to oil drilling.
BP, which reported profits of $5.598 billion for the first quarter of 2010, keep hesitating (for “cost” – read cash – reasons) on and delaying the clean-up and salvage.
The Human Cost. Tragic, also. (via The Times)
The men killed in the disaster leave behind mourning families and communities. They include:
• Adam Weise, who was mourned at a vigil attended by hundreds of people in his community of Yorktown, Texas, last week. “Adam was my baby, just 24 years old,” the man’s mother, Arlene Weise told reporters.
• Aaron Dale Burkeen, a 37-year-old resident of Neshoba County, near Philadelphia, Mississippi. A local paper reported that Burkeen was responsible for getting the other crew members to safety before leaving, but was unable to get off the rig in time. He is survived by a wife and two children, ages 14 and 6.
• Donald Clark, 49, of Newellton, Louisiana, was scheduled to leave the rig on April 21, the day after the explosion.
• Roy Kemp, 27, Jonesville, Louisiana, leaves behind two daughters, one three years old, the other three months old, and his wife, Tracy.
• Jason Anderson, of Bay City, Texas, also leaves behind two children.
• Stephen Curtis, 39, of Georgetown, Louisiana, is also survived by two children. He had been working in the oil industry for 17 years, following in the footsteps of his father, Howard, who worked as a diver-welder for 34 years.
• Gordon Jones, 28, of Louisiana, leaves behind a son and a pregnant wife, Michelle.
• Blair Manuel, 56, of Gonzales, Louisiana, worked as a chemical engineer on the rig. He had three daughters and was engaged to be married.
• Dewey Revette, 48, from State Line, Mississippi, worked for Transocean for 29 years as a driller, and was also a father.
• Shane Roshto, 22, was from Franklin County, Mississippi. His widow, Natalie Roshto, has also launched a lawsuit against Transocean, BP, and Halliburton.
These men add to a large death toll on Gulf Coast oil rigs in recent years, giving the lie to claims that offshore oil drilling is now a safe industry.
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High resolution photos are available at Boston.com’s The Big Picture.
A really scary situation!
Apart from the obvious dreadful environmental and economic impact, here we are quickly running out of oil and it is too risky to allow more oil to be produced.
Yet we should be using alternatives fuel sources in any case but the both our lives and the financial system are reliant on oil so it is just not happening as fast as it should be.
And…………….I wish someone would come up with an alternative economic system that does not rely on growth ‘cos we are likely truly buggared before the end of this century the way things are going!
I’d rather talk about John Galliano and his funny fashion sense…
You know Stu, Me too.
The gravity of this oil spill is such a damn mind fuck. Its really quite epic
However, when I start wondering about culpability, response time, the govt/oil business nexus etc it is all pretty depressing.
Interesting to compare this event to the recent Qld debacles . . ..
Given that its American East coast, I’m arm chair betting that the next news surge re this debacle will probably be the economic impact. No doubt environmental issues will still be referred to but that’ll only be to provide the spoonful of earnestness needed to slide all the money stuff up front for the financial commentators to start shovelling around governance and general CSR rhettoric
I say bring on more John G. That photo made me laugh – very Adam Ant. Kings of the Wild Frontier?
soy and hemp.I like my petroleum products.It’s a fucking mess.You come up with the next power source.IT’s an accident.I just can’t beleive the safety systems are so fucked up.Wheres brownie when we need him?Probally shoveling shit at bush’s ranch.I feel for those people.
check democracy now website from todays’ date.
or go to transafixion.com .
this is not at all funny.
Thanks, Doc.
Sweet website mate….And the nerve of BP to deny there obvious wrong doing in the Gulf….Obama will keep them wholely and solely responsible…What a great man….
dont let what you hear fool you. Obama sat around for 7 days before even sending in an official. The Obama administration allowed BP to manipulate the US Coast Guard and the media for 5 days. Then finally announced the leak is 5 times worst than thought. Last thursday the spill exceeding BP worst case scenario.
***side note ** obama administration has overturned offshore oil drilling laws along the gulf and East Coast of America for one reason. To gain REPUBLICAN SUPPORT. HE IS NOT ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY!!!!
It is interesting to me that people can comprehend the catastrophic when what is happening is visible within the time scale that they can see and therefore understand. While this is a regionally significant environmental event that will have catastrophic effects on local ecosystems; social and economic detrimental impacts for the region, there is much worse than this occuring in the earth’s biosphere but the sense of urgency and catastrophic is not understood by the great majority of people.
i agree with seppo obama is a numb nut political hack.all he cares about is ratings and spending.and selling our country out for votes.chicago politics .happy cinco de mayo.wheres jeb when we need him.
Giant boxes lowered 5000 feet into the deep and robots working around the clock to get it over a pipe.
Sounds clever, but misplaced. Why can’t all that ingenuity be turned towards not needing oil in the first place? Or at least preventing broken pipes?
What we need is a whole lot more volcanic eruptions. Strategically placed near the Middle East, Hawaii, a few seamounts in the Atlantic, The Pacific, The Iceland one was a piece or serendipitous brilliance by a few earth gods after only a short committee meeting. Life giving volcanoes such a tonic to slow things down, throw some protective blankets in the upper atmosphere and hey they look gorgeous .. love em. I prey to Huey and to Pele for waves and eruption.