The Gulf Oil Spill: a perspective

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the daddy quote was actually a story to convey that untimately what goes on down there is HIS responsibility. Or do you admit rush limbaugh was WRONG for calling the spill "Obama's Katrina"?

Its his responsibility but he can't take credit for anything GOOD that happens..is that it?


Isn't this YOUR quote about the presidents role from a similar catastrophe?
According to you the world doesn't stop turning..

And the statement is that his administration has been involved since day one.

yet again here is the Time from AP and other news sources:

On April 20, 2010, at about 10 p.m., an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. There were 126 people on board at the time. Fifteen of those were injured and eleven died. The Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd., was under contract with BP to drill an exploratory well. BP was the lessee of the area in which the rig was operating. At the time of the explosion, BP and Transocean were in the process of temporarily closing the well, in anticipation of returning it to commercial production. Another company, Halliburton, had completed some cementing of casings in the well less than 24 hours prior to the accident. The Coast Guard responded to the explosion and fire.

The next day, on April 21, 2010, pursuant to the National Contingency Plan, the Administration named Rear Admiral Mary Landry as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator. A regional response team was established, including representatives of the Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as state and local representatives. The regional response team began developing plans, providing technical advice and access to resources and equipment from its member agencies, and overseeing BP’s response. Interior Department's No. 2 official, David Hayes, goes down to New Orleans; Minerals Management Service (MMS) and Coast Guard establish operations centers near site of explosion.

On April 22, 2010, a second explosion caused the Deepwater Horizon to sink into the Gulf of Mexico at 10:22 a.m., taking with it a riser pipe which remained attached to the blowout preventer. The riser pipe, which normally goes from the wellhead to the drilling ship, broke as the Deepwater Horizon sank. National Response Team is activated. Organization of 16 federal departments and agencies including the White House, Coast Guard, the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Interior, and Environmental Protection Agency, among others. President Barack Obama convenes an Oval Office meeting to discuss ongoing response efforts.

April 23:_Authorities conduct 28 search-and-rescue operations covering about 5,300 square miles. At 5 p.m., the Coast Guard suspends the search for the missing 11.
_Rig is found upside down about quarter-mile from the blowout preventer. Oil sheen is reported, no apparent leak discovered.
_Homeland Security risk analysis says incident "poses a negligible risk to regional oil supply markets and will not cause significant national economic impacts."
_White House press secretary Robert Gibbs is asked whether the incident might affect Obama's plans to expand offshore drilling. "I don't honestly think it opens up a whole new series of questions, because, you know, in all honesty I doubt this is the first accident that has happened and I doubt it will be the last," Gibbs says.

On April 24, 2010, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) inspected the capsized rig on the sea floor and found two oil leaks from the well pipe along the sea floor (at a depth of approximately 5,000 feet). The initial estimate was that up to 1,000 barrels of oil a day could be leaking into the water. This estimate was later revised to be at least 5,000 barrels per day.
_Homeland Security report on critical infrastructure says problem has "no near-term impact to regional or national crude oil or natural gas supplies."
_20 more vessels and 500 responders deployed._Homeland Security report says estimated discharge rate could reach 64,000 to 110,000 barrels of oil per day if were to completely blow out.
_Five missions disperse about 13,000 gallons of chemical dispersants.
_Homeland Security report: "Current NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) oil trajectories predict no oil threat to shoreline within next 72 hours."

Monday, April 26:
_Interior Secretary Ken Salazar instructs MMS to physically inspect all deepwater rigs within two weeks, followed by physical inspections of all deepwater platforms.
_10 missions disperse roughly 15,000 additional gallons of dispersants, and 21,000 feet of containment boom are placed at the spill site.
_Homeland Security reports that attempts to activate blowout preventer valve through ROV are ineffective due to hydraulic leak on the valve.
_Interior Department begins planning for alternative interventions if the ROV valve procedure continues to be unsuccessful.

On April 27, 2010, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed an order establishing the next steps for a joint investigation, currently underway, into the causes of the explosion. The joint investigation will have the power to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, call witnesses, and take other steps needed to determine the cause of the incident. Top administration officials — including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Salazar, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and White House energy adviser Carol Browner — meet with BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, and other company executives. At the White House, the bad news is discussed at a hastily called meeting in the Situation Room. Obama is called and briefed on Air Force One, though the subject doesn't come up during a discussion the president has with his traveling press pool a short time later. On April 29, 2010, Secretary Napolitano declared the incident to be a “spill of national significance,” enabling the appointment of a national incident commander to coordinate response resources at the national level. Obama orders Salazar to complete report on safety measures for offshore drilling within 30 days, says no new leases will go forward without needed safeguards. _Salazar meets with oil and gas executives.


On April 30, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates mobilized the Louisiana National Guard to help in the ongoing efforts to assist local communities in the cleanup and removal of oil and to protect critical habitats from contamination.

On May 1, 2010, Secretary Napolitano named U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen the National Incident Commander for the Administration's continued, coordinated response.

On May 2, 2010, President Barack Obama talks with U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, who is serving as the National Incident Commander, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, aboard Marine One as they fly along the coastline from Venice to New Orleans, La., John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is in the background. BP began drilling the first deep-water intercept relief well, which is located a half-mile from the Macondo well, at a depth of roughly 5,000 feet. This well will attempt to intercept the existing wellbore at approximately 16,000 feet below the sea floor. BP estimates this process will take at least 90 days. An additional 30 vessels and 1,000 responders are deployed to Gulf Coast



On May 4, 2010, the Pentagon approved the federal mobilization of up to 17,500 National Guard troops to help various states with the oil spill (up to 6,000 by Louisiana, 3,000 by Alabama, 2,500 by Florida and 6,000 by Mississippi).

On May 5, BP announced that it had stopped the flow of oil from one of the three existing leak points on the damaged oil well and riser in the Gulf of Mexico, although this action did not change the overall rate of the leak. BP made plans to deploy the cofferdam, a 125-ton, 14’ x 24’ x 40’ structure to be set over the end of the riser.

On May 7, 2010, NOAA modified and expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area to better reflect the current location of the oil spill. After having deployed test applications of subsea dispersants, EPA halted subsea dispersant operations, awaiting additional test results. Secretary Salazar announced that no applications for new drilling permits would go forward for any new offshore drilling activity until the Department of the Interior completes the safety review requested by President Obama.

On May 8, 2010, BP announced that while lowering the cofferdam over the riser, an excess of hydrate crystals formed inside the dome, preventing the dome from being successfully placed over the leaking riser. The dome remains on the sea floor while BP evaluates current conditions.

On May 11, 2010, Secretary Salazar announced that he would restructure the Minerals Management Service in order to establish a separate and independent safety and environmental enforcement entity. Secretary Salazar also announced that the Administration would seek additional resources for federal inspectors, request an independent, technical investigation of the causes of the Deepwater Horizon spill from the National Academy of Engineers, and request expanded authority to review explorations plans.

On May 12, 2010, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu traveled to Houston to participate in meetings with DOE and national lab staff, industry officials and other engineers and scientists involved in finding solutions to cap the flow of oil and contain the spill.

On May 14, 2010, President Obama announced that he had ordered Secretary Salazar to conduct a “top to bottom” review of the Minerals Management Service.

On May 15, 2010, Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Salazar sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward reiterating that as a responsible party for this event, BP is accountable to the American public for the full costs of the cleanup of the spill and all economic losses related to the spill.

On May 16, 2010, a riser insertion tube tool (RITT) was successfully tested and inserted into the leaking riser, capturing some oil and gas. BP estimates that it is currently capturing slightly more than 2,000 barrels per day, but that amount varies greatly day to day.

On May 17, 2010, a second drill rig, Transocean’s Development Driller II, began drilling a second relief well.

On May 19, 2010, Secretary Salazar signed a secretarial order leading to the fundamental restructuring of the Minerals Management Service and the division of its three missions into separate entities for leasing, safety and revenue collection, with independent missions to strengthen oversight of offshore energy operations.
In addition, Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey requested that BP immediately make publicly available its live video feed of leak points and undersea activities.

On May 20, 2010, Secretary Napolitano announced that Admiral Allen would remain as national incident commander for the Administration’s continued, coordinated response to the spill, even after stepping down from his post as Coast Guard Commandant.

In addition, Secretary Napolitano and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward stressing the agency’s expectation that BP conduct all actions in a transparent manner, with all data and information related to the spill readily available to the federal government and the public.

The EPA also issued a directive requiring BP to identify and use a less toxic and more effective dispersant from the list of EPA-authorized dispersants. The directive required BP to identify a less toxic alternative – to be used both on the surface and under the water at the source of the oil leak – within 24 hours, and to begin using the less toxic dispersant within 72 hours of submitting the alternative.

The Energy and Commerce Committee posted a live feed of the underwater leak at its source, which was made available by BP following Chairman Markey’s request.

On May 22, 2010, President Obama signed an executive order establishing the bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, with former Florida Governor and former Senator Bob Graham, and former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly, serving as co-chairs. The commission is tasked with providing recommendations on how to prevent, and mitigate the impact of, any future spills that result from offshore drilling.

By May 23, 2010, more than 1.73 million feet of containment boom and 730,000 feet of sorbent boom had been deployed to contain the spill. Approximately 10.2 million gallons of an oil-water mix had been recovered. Approximately 785,000 gallons of total dispersant had been deployed, 685,000 on the surface and 100,000 underwater.

As of May 24, 2010, approximately 65.6 miles of Louisiana shoreline have been impacted by oil.
In addition, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke declared a fisheries disaster for commercial and recreational fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, as a result of the ongoing impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. NOAA has closed portions of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing based on the trajectory of the spill since May 2, 2010. The fiseries closure currently encompasses 19 percent of federal waters in the Gulf of h Mexico.


are you talking about the berms and jindals bitching:

Army Corps reportedly responded to Louisiana's barrier plan with concerns that it would drive oil into Mississippi


AP: Army Corps documents say barriers "could instead funnel oil into more unprotected areas and into neighboring Mississippi." The Associated Press reported on May 26 that the Army Corps of Engineers released documents that day that "signaled support for parts of the state plan, including berms that would be built onto existing barrier islands," but stated that parts of the plan "could inadvertently alter tides and end up driving oil east -- into Mississippi Sound, the Biloxi Marshes and Lake Borgne." From the article: A wall of sand that Louisiana officials have requested to block the Gulf of Mexico slick could instead funnel oil into more unprotected areas and into neighboring Mississippi, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in documents released Wednesday.
Gov. Bobby Jindal and leaders from several coastal parishes want to ring the state's southeastern coastline with a $350 million, 86-mile network of sand berms. However, the corps says the barrier could inadvertently alter tides and end up driving oil east -- into Mississippi Sound, the Biloxi Marshes and Lake Borgne.

[...]

Eager to build the berms before the damage gets worse, Louisiana officials said they were willing to delay construction on parts of the barrier to avoid swamping Mississippi with oil.

Millions of gallons are still swirling in the Gulf. Supporters of the sand berms say oil could keep hitting Louisiana's coastline for months.

In documents released Wednesday by the state, the corps signaled support for parts of the state plan, including berms that would be built onto existing barrier islands.

The agency said that if the 6-foot-high sand barriers worked, they could capture oil and allow skimmer boats to more effectively scoop floating crude.




riiight
 
So in other words Limbaugh's graph was at the very least 38 million gallons higher that the highest estimate.
 
It's Obama's Katrina for more reasons that I pointed out, but not for the ones you did. It's Obama's Katrina primarily for two reasons a) he had no control over this occurence and b) he is being criticized, again by the left, for not doing enough.

He should not be controlling the clean-up effort, therefore he cannot take credit for what BP does successfully, when they stop it.

He gave the quote to confirm that he is taking responsibility for the plug, which is not what he should be responsible for.


Playing golf wasn't what I had in mind
 
I'd like to see some "Benefit concerts for the gulf" or SOMETHING! We helped Haiti and many others... what about the people on the gulf who have lost their jobs... their families... very sad!
 
besides the 11 or so people who died in the explosion... how many other family's have lost someone due to the oil spill???

also haiti was a natural disaster, the gulf was the negligence of a private company.
 
The whole culture of that area for generations is built up on the marshes, the fisheries, etc of the gulf coast. Sure people will live through it, but their livelihoods will be ruined. That will be the legacy of this.

His livelihood doesn't depend on the coast, therefore it's not really a huge concern of his...
 
what perspective? that what obama said was actually accurate? That the technology has gotten better over the years?

is the rightwing talking point now that the spill ISN'T as bad as theyve tried to portray it?
 
as as investor I'd be pissed off that a company with such strong earnings would fuck it up by being cheap when it came to safety.
 
1. the left isn't the only side criticizing the administration's response.

2. the rig is in federal waters and whether you like it or not it IS the responsibility of the federal govt to clean up or oversee the clean up.

3. The longer it takes to cap the leak the more people are grumbly that the govt should do something.. like nuke it..unless you think BP has an arsenal of low yield nukes for just such occasions.

He gave the quote to confirm that he is taking responsibility for the plug, which is not what he should be responsible for.


the president shouldn't do anything concerning the oil spill..WHAAAT he's doing something else?? doesn't he know theres an oil spill??

come on dude... you really don't see the contradiction here?
 
And how about those that lived through the previous gulf spill? How did they manage back then? How did they change their livelihoods to deal with the disaster? I suggest those on the coast this time should deal with it in the same manner.

http://forums.offtopic.com/showpost.php?p=130202033&postcount=54
 
Do you think before you type?

Experts can't even agree on how much oil is gushing out. Somehow in your warped mind, Rush Limbaugh's dart-throw estimate is legitimate.
 
Defense Secretary Robert Gates Declares Gulf Oil Spill Beyond Military's Expertise

SINGAPORE — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is rejecting a more forceful role for the military in plugging the Gulf of Mexico oil leak.
Gates says the deep-water disaster is beyond the military's expertise.

Oil company BP is using its own equipment to try to stop the leak – equipment the U.S. military does not have. Speaking in Singapore, where he is meeting with Asian defense officials, Gates said Friday that the U.S. military is ready to do whatever it can to respond. But he also said there isn't much the military can do beyond providing some manpower.

There is a growing call for some kind of federal takeover of the spill, which has now been gushing for six weeks.
 
great, but for everything the article did to compare 1979 to 2010, it missed the biggest piece of the puzzle.
 
So what you're arguing is that Obama has done a shitload and it's still leaking!

DAMN HIM!!!
 
Or he overestimated it by a rather large ammount to sensationalize it.

Either way it is quite dishonest and most certainly calls into question his credibility.

The simple facts themselves should be good enough. There is no need to simply make shit up.
 
You mean his comment about "timing of the explosion" and how they were sending "swat teams" down there and Obama's reversal about allowing drilling, etc?

Yeah, I heard the audio too.
 
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