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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

I'm not sure what that sentence says.

BP "neglected" to provide a $500,000 piece of equipment that would have prevented this accident. Greed is what it comes down to -- greed on the part of BP.

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That's incorrect BP did not neglect to provide the equipment, the equipment failed in service unfortunately when it was needed

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Originally Posted by paraclete

That's incorrect BP did not neglect to provide the equipment, the equipment failed in service unfortunately when it was needed

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Most people, when setting up emergency equipment out of reach, have a tendency to check and make sure it works before they can't reach it, like checking the batteries.

In 1985 a plan was drawn up that would have prevented the spill from spreading in the event of an accident just like this. Some one dropped the ball money was allocated and no one can find or the equipment needed to contain the oil. When the accident happened it took 8 days before after many phone calls what to be on hand ready and waiting was located in another part of the world was purchased and brought to the site. BP is no angle but the aftermath could have been far less if congress had paid attention and protected the waters and coast line by being prepared and insured that the job was done. The boot needs to be on the neck of congress. Watch what these guys are doing. If your boss never checks on you it's human nature to slack off. By the way the American People are the boss, don't let Congress forget that.

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

Most people, when setting up emergency equipment out of reach, have a tendency to check and make sure it works before they can't reach it, like checking the batteries.

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I think your attitude fairly niaive, even if the equiptment works at sea level there is no way to test it at depth once installed and it is unlikely that it would be certain it would work at all depths as the present case demonstrates. What is obviously needed is a piece of equipment that can be frequently tested under any conditions but the cost may be prohibitive so what is used in these circumstances is probability and the one in a million happened as it will sooner or later

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Originally Posted by meyowgee

In 1985 a plan was drawn up that would have prevented the spill from spreading in the event of an accident just like this. Some one dropped the ball money was allocated and no one can find or the equipment needed to contain the oil. When the accident happened it took 8 days before after many phone calls what to be on hand ready and waiting was located in another part of the world was purchased and brought to the site. BP is no angle but the aftermath could have been far less if congress had paid attention and protected the waters and coast line by being prepared and insured that the job was done. The boot needs to be on the neck of congress. Watch what these guys are doing. If your boss never checks on you it's human nature to slack off. By the way the American People are the boss, don't let Congress forget that.

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It is great to be wise after the event as of course politicians and commentators always are. But those who drew up a plan in 1985 are not those administering the allocation of funds today. Such programs can be gone as quickly as an administration and in any case technology changes. The shutoff valve was supposed to be failsafe to prevent such events and was either damaged or malfunctioned. It is unlikely any plan contemplated the complete loss of a drill platform but there would not have been a spill if the shutoff had operated as designed. These deep sea drilling activities are dealing with unimagined pressures and stresses and it may be that this form of activity may just have to wait for the technology to catch up

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Originally Posted by paraclete

niaive,

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Was that a typo or a spelling error?

Naiveté I am seldom guilty of. They dropped the blowout preventer with a dead battery.

Oil rig safety device's failure targeted - Worldnews.com

I added BP to my boycott list. Not for the rig explosion and spill . Rather, because they still deal with Iran. Oil Trade With Iran Thrives, Discreetly - WSJ.com

Yep, I think someone dropped tha ball when they did something risky without checking the safety equipment first. A dead battery and one of the safety systems was disabled on purpose is just plain bad.

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

Was that a typo or a spelling error?

Naiveté I am seldom guilty of. They dropped the blowout preventer with a dead battery.

Oil rig safety device's failure targeted - Worldnews.com

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so human error entered the equation, often does, Murphy's Law in operation it is always the cheapest part that fails and batteries have a finite life

Let me explain myself a little better. The 1985 plan was approved and funded by the congress. This plan was designed to stop and contain the spill had it been deployed in a timely fashion our wildlife would not be in so much trouble. No one knows where the money went, no equipment was purchased. Now to who can be blamed for this. These lifer's in congress where there and are still there. Let's ask them. Note no congressional inquiry has been called on this issue.

I agree a dead battery is just stupid. But theft of the people's money is a crime.

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Originally Posted by meyowgee

Let me explain myself a little better. The 1985 plan was approved and funded by the congress. This plan was designed to stop and contain the spill had it been deployed in a timely fashion our wildlife would not be in so much trouble. No one knows where the money went, no equipment was purchased. Now to who can be blamed for this. These lifer's in congress where there and are still there. let's ask them. Note no congressional inquiry has been called on this issue.

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You can't have an inquiry on every point related to the problem after all such enquiries are about deflecting blame from the government. The rule is you don't hold an enquiry unless you have a good idea of the outcome, you certainly don't hold one where you will be found at fault

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been waiting for the Army Corp of Engineers to build sand barriers between the delicate marshlands and the Gulf to protect the barrier islands. But the Corp is waiting for an environmental impact evalution and has not granted Louisiana's request for an emergency permit for the plan.:confused::confused::confused:

Do they really think that sand dumped into the gulf would have a greater negative environmental impact than oil soaking the barrier islands ? He wants to build 80 miles of sand berms . He should go ahead without the Federal Government's approval .

There are of course people who question the effectiveness of the plan but a berm constructed on Elmer's Island appears to be doing the trick.

The government should approve the plan regardless of cost ;and send the bill to BP .

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been waiting for the Army Corp of Engineers

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Waiting on the Feds seems to be a habit in that State.

To be fair ;he has requested the approval ; and the coastal areas are the Fed's perview.
Gov Blanco by contrast was required to request Fed aid during Katrina and waited too long to make the request.

Via Ace, I think he just got tired of waiting:

"We are not waiting for them. We are going to build it," Jindal said."

After 34 days how can you blame him? I can only imagine how this would have played out under Bush, how many days you think he'd get before everyone went ballistic? It took 4 weeks before liberal media figures took Obama to task over his lack of response other than pledging to keep his boot on the neck of BP.

Meanwhile, they're still granting environmental waivers for drilling in the gulf.

Blanco was wrong. Jindal is right. Fed's won't move until Obama can find a way to take credit for it. Today's press parade today for example. Fill the ++++
Hole.

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Originally Posted by thisisit

No we should not quit nuclear power. I think I read a while ago that the vegetation around Chernobyl has flourished, and though the animals may have suffered some DNA damage, wildlife has also flourished.

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Hate to disagree with you but that immediate area of Chernobyl is considered off limits and any person who enters into that area must wear a full radiation suit! The area is still quite toxic and Chernobyl is a ghost town. You must be thinking of the surrounding area and not Chernobyl itself.

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Originally Posted by thisisit

No we should not quit nuclear power. I think I read a while ago that the vegetation around Chernobyl has flourished, and though the animals may have suffered some DNA damage, wildlife has also flourished.

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Originally Posted by twinkiedooter

Hate to disagree with you but that immediate area of Chernobyl is considered off limits and any person who enters into that area must wear a full radiation suit!! The area is still quite toxic and Chernobyl is a ghost town. You must be thinking of the surrounding area and not Chernobyl itself.

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Thisisit is correct about the wildlife. The jury is still out about long-term effects. There are indications of albinism, strange tree growth, changes in animal functioning, but generally herds and flocks are flourishing.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Now ;how does nature react ? Nature cleanses ; heals itself and survives.

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I believe this.

I also believe geological time and human time aren't one and the same. That its simplistic to say this is a mistake that can be corrected in time... and that its wrong to think that the time it might take won't have a dramatic impact on this region as we know it.

We could set off an H bomb in chicago. Eventually nature would persist. That's still little comfort for the dead.