Oil Rig Explosion

#276
#276
TennTradition said:
The oil is probably worse. It makes sense to use the most ecologically-friendly dispersant that is also readily available, though. However, the bigger question to me is not about the dispersant's environmental impact directly, but rather the side effects.

A problem with the dispersant is that it only breaks the oil up and allows it to fall from the surface. They are not certain about what happens to it from there. Does it form plumes in deeper water, or does it destroy the ecosystem at the bottom of the ocean? Ultimately, it may be better for that to happen that for it to stay on the surface, but just because we disperse it certainly doesn't mean it goes away.
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i'm not expert, but my understanding was that the deep water can absorb the oil much better than the surface.
 
#278
#278
droski said:
i'm not expert, but my understanding was that the deep water can absorb the oil much better than the surface.
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I think that is likely true. There are natural mechanisms in place to reabsorb, and a big part of that happens at the ocean floor most likely. I'm also sure we are overwhelming those natural processes due to the size of the leak, so there will be accumulation. If it all falls to the bottom, then that is probably the best scenario. It will devastate anything like shrimp that feed off the bottom, but it's a smaller impact. If it creates an odd phase that just hangs at some level below the surface to be carried around in the currents, the effects are quite hard to predict. The natural mechanisms wouldn't really be able to work on it and the surface clean up wouldn't be able to get to it.
 
#280
#280
MG1968 said:
I didn't see it mentioned in that story, but I heard that one of the reasons the Army Corps of Engineers is delaying the construction of sand berms is because they're waiting on the environmental impact statement from the EPA.

how's that for irony?
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God bless governmental bureaucracy.
 
#281
#281
MG1968 said:
I didn't see it mentioned in that story, but I heard that one of the reasons the Army Corps of Engineers is delaying the construction of sand berms is because they're waiting on the environmental impact statement from the EPA.

how's that for irony?
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It's disgustingly ironic. Any idiot could weigh the two possible environmental impacts between NOT building the sand berms or building them, and make this call in a heart beat. I mean, I would trust someone with a high school GED to make this call quickly.
 
#282
#282
IPorange said:
It's disgustingly ironic. Any idiot could weigh the two possible environmental impacts between NOT building the sand berms or building them, and make this call in a heart beat. I mean, I would trust someone with a high school GED to make this call quickly.
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how about someone with a law degree from Harvard...or even Florida? :)
 
#286
#286
BP finally admitting mistakes:

Oil giant BP PLC told congressional investigators that a decision to continue work on an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after a test warned that something was wrong may have been a "fundamental mistake," according to a memo released by two lawmakers Tuesday.

The document describes a wide array of mistakes in the fateful final hours aboard the Deepwater Horizon—but the main revelation is that BP now says there was a clear warning sign of a "very large abnormality" in the well, but work proceeded anyway.
. . .
According to the memo, BP identified several other mistakes aboard the rig, including possible contamination of the cement meant to seal off the well from volatile natural gas and the apparent failure to monitor the well closely for signs that gas was leaking in, the congressmen wrote in their post-meeting memo. An immense column of natural gas, erupting from the oil well, fueled the fireball that destroyed the rig.

A BP spokesman declined to comment on the memo's specific statements. He said the company had identified "what we believe to be a series of underlying failures" that caused the accident.
. . .
The memo sheds new light on a key test performed hours before the explosion that has been a focus of congressional investigations. BP previously told investigators that a "negative pressure" test, which checks for leaks in the well, was inconclusive at best and "not satisfactory" at worst.

But in the meeting Tuesday, BP went further, saying the results were an "indicator of a very large abnormality" but that workers—unnamed in the memo—decided by 7:55 p.m. that the test was successful after all. That may have been a "fundamental mistake," BP's investigator said in the meeting, according to the memo. Reps. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and Bart Stupak (D., Mich.) wrote the memo, which was made public Tuesday.

After that, workers began to remove the heavy drilling fluid, called "mud" in the industry, that provides pressure to prevent any gas that seeps into the well from rising to the surface.

The memo also describes a breakdown in communication aboard the rig in the hours leading up to the explosion that made it tough for workers to monitor how much mud was coming out of the well—a key measure of whether gas is leaking in, according to the memo.
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Meanwhile, a month later, we wait for top kill.

Live video link from the ROV monitoring the damaged riser
 
#287
#287
some of these lawmakers are actually acting like bp doesn't want to stop the leak. it's kind of ridiculous.
 
#288
#288
droski said:
some of these lawmakers are actually acting like bp doesn't want to stop the leak. it's kind of ridiculous.
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I have to agree with you there.

I would say, however, that there seems to be a growing sense that there is such discombobulation at the top of BP as to what to do next. I could see that -- some segment of the corporation is no doubt very worried about the explosion and the deaths themselves and fallout from that, another contingency is worried about the effects of the spill on fishing and other economic interests, another is worried about clean up and the detergents they are using, another is worried about stock price, another is worried aobut stopping the leak, etc.

Probably a ton of politics within BP management right now over this.
 
#289
#289
they all are 100% concerned about stopping the leak because that is what is costing them billions a day and will cost them billions in the future.
 
#291
#291
droski said:
they all are 100% concerned about stopping the leak because that is what is costing them billions a day and will cost them billions in the future.
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I think that is an oversimplifaction because, one, if they can stop it now with an idea that has been floating around for awhile, they will be criticized for not doing it sooner, and, two, the method they ultimately use to shut it down may in fact yield some bad information for them.

I agree that overall they want to shut it down. Just saying there are probably some people who have an agenda as to how that exactly occurs.
 
#292
#292
lawgator1 said:
I think that is an oversimplifaction because, one, if they can stop it now with an idea that has been floating around for awhile, they will be criticized for not doing it sooner, and, two, the method they ultimately use to shut it down may in fact yield some bad information for them.

I agree that overall they want to shut it down. Just saying there are probably some people who have an agenda as to how that exactly occurs.
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obviously if they coudl have shut it down before they would have done so. i'm sure they are willing to deal with some bad publicity for the sake of saving $30 billion.
 
#293
#293
lawgator1 said:
I think that is an oversimplifaction because, one, if they can stop it now with an idea that has been floating around for awhile, they will be criticized for not doing it sooner, and, two, the method they ultimately use to shut it down may in fact yield some bad information for them.

I agree that overall they want to shut it down. Just saying there are probably some people who have an agenda as to how that exactly occurs.
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It's a lose-lose for BP right now no matter what happens. I can assure you there isn't anyone at BP trying to manipulate the well-kill for PR purposes. There were a whole lot of things that needed to happen before the top-kill could take place. The last piece fell into place about 10 minutes ago. Within seconds of that verification - the order was given to begin.
 
#296
#296
I find it an odd coincidence that BP was noticing irregular well operation in the same hour that the NK submarine was to arrive with its fatal torpedo. Funny how everything seemed to be stacked against them.
 
#297
#297
TennTradition said:
I find it an odd coincidence that BP was noticing irregular well operation in the same hour that the NK submarine was to arrive with its fatal torpedo. Funny how everything seemed to be stacked against them.
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Duh, NK is the secret owner of BP.
 
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#298
#298
Velo Vol said:
I don't see as much discombobulation in BP as I do on the government side.
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I keep hearing complaints about the federal reaction, but I am not sure what they are supposed to do other than expedite permits to build sand berns. From what I read La. has just basically bypassed that bureaucracy.

What else could they do? Drop MREs to the shrimp?
 
#299
#299
lawgator1 said:
What else could they do?
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You used the word discombobulation which denotes a PR element.

It just doesn't appear that the government has had a unified, coordinated, on-the-ground response effort to the disaster. With the exception of the Coast Guard guy, it doesn't seem like anyone is "in charge."

In contrast, you've had Salazar making a few comments which almost seem like the opposite.
 
#300
#300
I like Salazar always wearing the baseball cap ... reminds me of brownie and W rolling up their sleeves and standing around a table pointing at a map of new orleans .... comical

very difficult situation dealing with those kind of pressures a mile down ... hope the latest attempt works .....
 
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