How can you contain an 5000-ft-underwater gusher that is pumping out 30K barrels a day? Does it just keep growing and growing?
And BP, the experts, have no way to cap it.
Are you in the oil drilling industry? I have not been able to find a single educated source who could verify for me that it is possible to corral and burn off the oil that is being produced at the rate. The weather doesn’t seem to be co-operating with the 275,580 feet of boom already in use. Has the burn been successful in combating this so far?
BP gives the impression that the real emergency lies in capping or covering the well-head. Is that a job that thew Feds would handle? Doesn’t BP have primary responsibility over the site?
What exactly could the Feds have done with this situation to fix it, since BP was lying about the flow from the get-go? If BP couldn’t fix it, why do you think the Feds would have a better chance?
Regarding the fund: the Deepwater Horizon rig itself cost 700 million. Since it was leased, the first payout from the Fund would go to paying off Transocean. Since a total of $1 billion of the Fund is available for any one incident, that $700 million payout for the rig won’t leave a lot behind. And BP’s legal liabilities are limited, as well.
I’m not in the oil industry but have lots of family in it. My brother is an engineer and has commissioned a rig. My nephew is a safety inspector who has said somebody’s ass is gonna fry.
The feds should have a better plan of action and know where the equipment is located to get it in a timely manner.
The burn was successful when they did it. Had they started earlier when the weather was favorable it would have reduced the amount of oil that is currently starting to damage the coast and killing wildlife. It won’t stop the leak but it might have bought some time for getting other resources in place to protect the coast.
Sen. Vitter posted on his facebook page that BP needs to focus on capping the well and the government agencies who are responsible need to focus on protecting the coast. That is what the Oil Pollution Act is in place for. Of course the feds have f’d up as usual but at this point finger pointing doesn’t help.