Posted on 08/07/2006 5:27:11 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Wow! The black helicopter told me that too!
It was stated on another thread yesterday that sand is pumped out of the ground along with the oil. Over time, it corrodes, or creates thin spots along the pipeline.
What kind of maintenence does one do to prevent corrosion of this nature from happening?
Exactly. Karl Rove commanded a fleet of Halliburton black helicopters to fly over Prudhoe Bay and corrode the pipeline, so that the neo-cons of Exxon/BP running the White House could profit from their . . . ;-)
LOL! What I don't understand is if some folks really believe this, why would BP need a pretext to withhold oil from the market to raise prices? Just do it.
LOL. The new DNC math.
I hope you don't mind that I bookmarked your post. You did a great job of presenting the facts.
...somehow making money by NOT selling the oil, which is stuck at the far-end of the pipeline and in the ground. It's just scary that basic stuff like economics is not taught in schools today, but putting-condoms-on-bananas is.
As I look up at the TV screen, oil is up $1.49 and natural gas is actually down, so it appears that Ms. Market is kinda yawning at this news.
Thanks for the kind words...I appreciate it!
Well, sand is certainly very corrosive. That must be the answer. However, I would think that some fairly high-tech coatings would be used in this instance. Do you remember when this pipeline was put in?
I believe they said the pipeline was put in in 1968.
If losing such a small percentage of our oil production has such a bad effect wouldn't adding that much production have a like effect in the positive direction?
The anti-drillers have told us that US production has no effect on oil prices, Riiiiiight.
Can you believe it...way back when I was in high school (I think Gutenberg was still printing books), I had the choice of taking Economics or Civics, and I took Civics 'cause I heard econ was too hard. (I went on to major in econ in college...go figure.) Anyway, I think too many people opted for the same choices I did and we're paying the costs now.
Interesting experiment I used to ask in-coming Freshmen: What is the average profit of a US corporation? The most-often given answer: 50%. When pressed for their source of this "nugget" of information, they said "my parents". We're in deep trouble, people, if this is what the average US citizen thinks. The long-run profit rate for the average US corporation is 3.2%. Indeed, most companies would earn more if they sold their company and put the money in CD's. (There might be a few unemployemnt problems, however, if every corporation did this!)
Like they say: "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
Well, that's a pretty long time! I'll accept your facts! You came, you saw, you shot me down!
LOL! I just regurgitated. The sand sounds right. Even the date of the pipeline sounds right but I haven't seen date/timestamps on them myself ;)
BWAAAAAAAA!
" but I haven't seen date/time stamps"
Ya know, there are some reuters pics floatin' around and I'd like to see the
date/times stamps on them!
I appreciate the convenience of having a well-written argument, like yours, available.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was designed and constructed to move oil from the North Slope of Alaska to the northern most ice- free port- Valdez, Alaska. Construction began on March 27, 1975 and was completed on May 31, 1977.
Seems to be! Discovered in '68 and flowing in '77.
So it's only 30 years old.
My husband is a pipeline inspector and has worked on repairs or replacements for the major oil companies on lines that were not as old as this one and some that were older. The acceleration of corrosion can be caused by a number of factors, and this shutdown is not likely to be a plot by BP to drive up prices, as some are asserting here.
I agree. The pipe is an average of 3 1/2 inches thick.
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