Notice the spill is measured in gallons for effect and the cleanup is measured in barrels. They have capacity to clean-up almost 3x what is being spilled. They will get on top of this quick enough. The loss of life is the tragedy.
And the word "fear" in the title. The article is designed to scare people. Further down in the article we find out that they aren't sure if the well is losing any oil at all, and in any case they have the area under control.
Major oil spill as rig sinks off US
A BLAZING oil rig has sunk into the Gulf of Mexico, sparking fears of an environmental disaster two days after a massive blast that left 11 workers missing. US maritime authorities said crude oil was pouring into the sea at the site where the hulking Deepwater Horizon rig once stood, though they were unable to determine at what rate. In Washington, President Barack Obama said the federal response to the disaster "was being treated as the number one priority,'' the White House said in a statement. Mr Obama "made sure that the entire federal government was offering all assistance needed in the rescue effort as well as in mitigating and responding to the environmental impact,'' the statement read.
Officials said that before the explosion there were 2.6 million litres of diesel fuel on board the semi-submersible platform and it had been drilling 8,000 barrels, or about 1.27 million litres of oil a day.
This is considered a major oil spill,'' said Mike O'Berry, a US Coast Guard senior chief petty officer. Officials said the current spill had the potential to be the worst seen in the United States since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/major-oil-spill-as-rig-sinks-off-us/story-e6frf7jx-1225857582674
“Notice the spill is measured in gallons for effect and the cleanup is measured in barrels.”
Saw that. For greater effect, the scribblers at the Chronicle could’ve wrote: “ The collapse of the oil rig could disgorge up to 43,008,000 ounces of crude a day into waters...”
Notice the spill is measured in gallons for effect and the cleanup is measured in barrels. They have capacity to clean-up almost 3x what is being spilled. They will get on top of this quick enough. The loss of life is the tragedy.
bears repeating, since i missed it in a quick reading too...
Or about twice the rate of natural seeps around the North American continent.