What is there to say about the latest oil spill disaster? My first few attempts at writing would have had to been translated into cartoon epithets – “^%*) BP oil $#(*^~ %&#*!!”
What we did predict and now know is that: A) the impacts will continue to get worse, B) the experts who promised time and again that they could handle a spill of this type clearly have no clue how to stop the mess or clean it up, and, C) the government that was supposed to provide adult supervision oversight has largely left it to the industry experts. However, the oil industry safety awards program was cancelled this week so they could focus on the tragedy at hand.
As best we know around 5000 barrels of oil a day are flowing out now. Recent predictions are that it could wash across the Gulf of Mexico, into the Florida Keys and up the Atlantic coast of Florida. Over 30% of the “chemical dispersant” that exists in the world is being used in the Gulf of Mexico right now. The Coast Guard is experimenting with open sea burning of several hundred gallons of oil at a time. BP Oil says they are spending $6 million a day on the spill. Wow. Six million a day. That’s a lot of money. I wonder if it includes this week’s American Petroleum Industry lobby week?
An hour ago in the White House Rose Garden President Obama promised the full effort of the US Government to help clean up the spill. Pay now or pay later, friends. The cost of oil is very predictable and always going up.


Maria
And while cleaning it up is the right & urgent thing to do, once again American taxpayers are footing the bill. This after another year of record profits for the oil companies.
Anthony
“Drill, baby, drill”—more like “SPILL, baby, SPILL.”