Posted on 05/01/2010 8:36:33 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
These people are very brave working incredibly dangerous jobs. The technology and complexity is incredible. What is going to really suck is the Dems will demonize oil exploration for their friends in the middle east who produce oil.
Domestic energy production (and we have 4x more than the Saudis) is the ONLY way to recapitalize America because it creates WEALTH. Nothing creates wealth like energy production. Not high tech, farming, etc. The only thing close is manufacturing.
If domestic energy production is slowed and not expanded - American will go broke - period. This is what they want.
Because as we all know, BIG OIL is the most evil force on earth and is causing everything from global warming to earthquakes.
Save for later.
Excellent article and a very informative read. It sounds like we do in fact have the technology to stop this leak, and it will be very interesting to see what they come up with.
If you are running a pinglist on this, please add me. At the least, if you see another article from this fellow, please let all of us know.
Meanwhile, this reads like an adventure novel, very few facts.
My old room mate called me yesterday. I had been worried about him since news of the explosion. He’s the captain of the crew boat that shuttles crew and supplies to that rig.
He told me about his boat sustaining heat hot enough to blister the paint on the boat, but was okay and now working like crazy to help in any way they tell him to.
The disturbing part about our conversation was about the captain of the oil rig itself. He went on to tell how the captain was a huge a-hole with a bad temper. The crew would tip toe around him so as to not upset him.
When things started unfolding with the disaster the captain was asleep in his stateroom and was left undisturbed because the crew thought they could handle things and not have to disturb the captain. It wasn’t until things got out of control that he was finally awakened.
We may never know but his involvement earlier may have prevented this disaster.
I agree with everything you’ve said. Let’s not forget the “unintended consequences” — in this case, all of our gulf drilling must be far removed from shore and therefore at much greater depths than those the Chinese are doing with the Cubans, the developers near Venezuela, etc. Our developers have to drill at 5,000 feet below sea-level — and now there’s a problem and they’re struggling to plug the well at that depth. Will anyone in the “blame game” consider our own Federal regulations and what the unintended consequences have been? And when we decide to ban off-shore drilling, will anyone in the MSM raise the obvious point that this isn’t going to stop the Cubans/Chinese in their part of the Gulf nor the Venezuelans in their waters, etc. etc. etc. around the globe.
Yes, I wish that shut-off valve was working... and I wish they were only required to go down 1,000 feet to now fix the problem.
Thanks.
They’re suing one of the victims family? Crazy!
“
“You have to go out,” is the old Coast Guard saying.
“You don’t have to come back.”
“
First time I was made aware of that motto was while touring the naval
exhibit at Galveston.
It was the caption of (presumably) a WWII photo of a deceased
naval/CG drapped over his gun station.
The CG and civilians that rushed to an inferno like this oil instillation
were very brave as well.
If it was my well, I'd sure have something place to freeze it down below if any kicking occurred.
At those depths the pressures are fantastic, can you imagine the 30,000 to 40,000 psi James was talking about?
I'd love to harness that up to a turbine or something to generate electricity while harvesting hydrocarbons.
[ ... ummmm... yes, that's on another FReeper thread ... LOL ... ]
Sure wouldn't want to have been holding Cameron Intl shares.
And that the oil is under even greater pressure if it is pushing out through it?
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