Gulf Braces for Obama Backlash

[heironymouspasparagus]

Cutting cedars is the only job he was qualified for.  He is the ultimate extreme example of the "Peter Principle".

And BP is claiming they have already spent over $4 billion on the cleanup, most of it going to people who are losing their livelihoods and working for the company cleaning up.

And they have set aside a reserve of $32 billion (this morning's news) more for the cleanup.  So, I'm thinking if that guy at LSU is really concerned about jobs and money going to people in the area...well, he really isn't.  He is showing that his income comes from the oil companies, just like that judge who owned all the stocks in oil and services companies when he set aside the moratorium.  Professor just showed he cannot differentiate between 2 and 36 (32 + 4).

[Gaspar]

This is good news http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-crude-mother-nature-breaks-slick/story?id=11254252&page=1

The spill seems to be disappearing.

[Conan71]

This is good news http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-crude-mother-nature-breaks-slick/story?id=11254252&page=1

The spill seems to be disappearing.

Sort of like Ahmadinejad's take on the holocaust?  Never happened, eh?

That's very good news, let's hope all industry is back alive in the gulf very soon and that the environmental impact was minimal.

[Hoss]

Sort of like Ahmadinejad's take on the holocaust?  Never happened, eh?

That's very good news, let's hope all industry is back alive in the gulf very soon and that the environmental impact was minimal.

Just can't see how the impact will be minimal, but it is good news.  That's just an awful lot of crude spilled over such a long duration that it cannot be good for anything.

Now, let's see something good come of it, if that's possible.

[Gaspar]

Now, let's see something good come of it, if that's possible.

You can fry shrimp without having to add oil to the pan. 

[Conan71]

Just can't see how the impact will be minimal, but it is good news.  That's just an awful lot of crude spilled over such a long duration that it cannot be good for anything.

Now, let's see something good come of it, if that's possible.

I'm rather skeptical as well, Hoss.  But if what I'm reading and hearing is correct , the ecosystem of the ocean has the natural ability to deal with the oil.  Consider that it is all organics to start with.  We have no idea how many times oil has escaped from fissures in the ocean floor around the world over time.

Here's an article from ten years ago in Science Daily which explains more:

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2000) — Twice an Exxon Valdez spill worth of oil seeps into the Gulf of Mexico every year, according to a new study that will be presented January 27 at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

But the oil isn't destroying habitats or wiping out ocean life. The ooze is a natural phenomena that's been going on for many thousands of years, according to Roger Mitchell, Vice President of Program Development at the Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) in Rockville Md. "The wildlife have adapted and evolved and have no problem dealing with the oil," he said.

Oil that finds its way to the surface from natural seeps gets broken down by bacteria and ends up as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. So knowing the amount of fossil fuel that turns to carbon dioxide naturally is important for understanding how much humans may be changing the climate by burning oil and gas.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000127082228.htm

[Hoss]

I'm rather skeptical as well, Hoss.  But if what I'm reading and hearing is correct , the ecosystem of the ocean has the natural ability to deal with the oil.  Consider that it is all organics to start with.  We have no idea how many times oil has escaped from fissures in the ocean floor around the world over time.

Here's an article from ten years ago in Science Daily which explains more:

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2000) — Twice an Exxon Valdez spill worth of oil seeps into the Gulf of Mexico every year, according to a new study that will be presented January 27 at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

But the oil isn't destroying habitats or wiping out ocean life. The ooze is a natural phenomena that's been going on for many thousands of years, according to Roger Mitchell, Vice President of Program Development at the Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) in Rockville Md. "The wildlife have adapted and evolved and have no problem dealing with the oil," he said.

Oil that finds its way to the surface from natural seeps gets broken down by bacteria and ends up as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. So knowing the amount of fossil fuel that turns to carbon dioxide naturally is important for understanding how much humans may be changing the climate by burning oil and gas.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000127082228.htm

Yep, but the question here becomes that so much of this has top-floated and is now affecting beaches, whereas the normal seepage, as the article states, gets broken down.  I can't see how bacteria can break all of this down in a hurry.

In a perfect world, I guess.

It is time to start looking more at alternative fuels, but, unlike Bill Maher, who has gone all Greenpeace and says we should be weaned off the hyrdocarbon teat immediately, I'm more of a realist, knowing that won't happen, and probably won't happen in my lifetime.  It would be nice to see a gradual transition over to other forms of energy.

[Conan71]

Hopefully we could keep political agendas out of the solutions, but when trillions upon trillions in future energy $$ are at stake we can't expect a lot of altruism.

The reports are that the top slicks are receding and becoming harder to find, dispersants apparently worked below the surface.  I don't remember a lot of the beach cleaning details from Galveston, Padre and other spills in the past, but ostensibly, beaches could be back to full song again in a year or less.

[heironymouspasparagus]

The ocean has the ability to heal a great deal.  This too will heal, but it will be a long time.  The Prince William Sound herring fisheries still haven't fully recovered after 20 years.

South Padre had a spill land on the beach back in the early '70s, about 4 years after my first trip to the area.  About 1980-82, I visited again with a specific side goal in mind and a shovel in the trunk.  I went to the beach - gulf side - and dug in the sand for a while.  Sure enough, just a few inches down (probably about 6 or 8") was the layer of oil from 8 years earlier. 

I bet one could still dig around there and find that layer - just deeper, hopefully!

George Lopez put a positive spin on it a few weeks ago when he said the oil should help flavor raw oysters so they don't just taste like a cold loogie.

Too much??
Sorry.

[Gaspar]

A big part of the resorption they are experiencing, according to scientists, is due to the water temperature being very warm, causing heavy microbic action.  Spills in colder climates linger far longer in the environment.

Therefore I conclude that without Global Warming we would really be in a mess! 

If you want to do your share to help the clean-up effort, drive an extra mile or two on the way home today.  If you own a Prius, you are part of the problem.

[Conan71]

A big part of the resorption they are experiencing, according to scientists, is due to the water temperature being very warm, causing heavy microbic action.  Spills in colder climates linger far longer in the environment.

Therefore I conclude that without Global Warming we would really be in a mess! 

If you want to do your share to help the clean-up effort, drive an extra mile or two on the way home today.  If you own a Prius, you are part of the problem.

I will put off buying a Nissan Leaf for a few more days.

[custosnox]

If you want to do your share to help the clean-up effort, drive an extra mile or two on the way home today.  If you own a Prius, you are part of the problem.

And here I thought that if you drove a Prius, it meant you had problems...

[nathanm]

And here I thought that if you drove a Prius, it meant you had problems...

You apparently haven't seen Toyota's lease offers on the Prius lately.