BP Makes "Giant" Oil Find in Gulf of Mexico

[jack S]

If the coorporations can convince the gullible that its good for "business", then they will make our coastal water look like this article from surfrider soup. Of course they will lie as they always do, and say there are safe guards against that happening! Yea right!!!

[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]AUSTRALIAN OIL RIG PREDICTED TO SPEW OIL FOR TWO MONTHS[/FONT]

[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A mixture of gas and condensate oil has been leaking from the West Atlas drilling rig in the Timor Sea since Friday morning.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As further evidence that offshore oil exploration can be risky, a rig off the northwest coast of Australia recently suffered a catastrophic accident. Caused by a fractured well, the accident has caused oil to spill right into the middle of [FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]an important nursery ground and migration route for whales and turtles and it will continue to contaminate this area for another two months![/FONT][/FONT] It will take more than three weeks to put a second replacement rig in place and four weeks of drilling before the rig can tap the leaking well. Authorities are still calculating the total amount of oil spilled to date. [/FONT][FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]​

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[Lynnie]

Is BP planning on placing rigs there? BP is also a leader in alternative energy sources.

I don't want drilling, but I don't think we should be dependent upon Middle Eastern oil either.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I don't know that I would call BP a "leader in alternative energy sources." Yes, they are experimenting and testing with other energy sources, but a leader they are not.

 

[Lynnie]

You got me again. I should have said, 'research and development.' Thanks!

 

[Russ&Kimberly]

Oil Tanker off Seagrove Beach

It is funny that we are talking about this today. We just looked out our window and saw an oil tanker passing by our house in Seagrove. I have never seen that before off our beaches. Does anyone know why a ship would be visible from shore?

 

[DuneAHH]

I don't know that I would call BP a "leader in alternative energy sources." Yes, they are experimenting and testing with other energy sources, but a leader they are not.

Who are the leaders?

 

[Smiling JOe]

They are small businesses, which may have a handful of employees, or even one, who are working in back yard garages, no different than when Michael Dell, Michael Buell, Bill Gates were starting in their own businesses. There are many people working on many technologies right now, because discovering the right engine or energy source/conversion, will rule the world in almost no time, relatively speaking. Other leaders in energy technology might be large, profitable companies like Google, which could give huge cash prizes as incentives to increase focus in the field, in the way of contests. They have already explored this on a small scale.

 

[Lynnie]

I just did a quick search and it appears that just this year all of the traditional cos., large and small, have tapered their funding for R&D regarding alternative fuel/energy sources. The main reason is the global recession. This is disappointing as I've always believed in alternative sources for energy.

However, and this I love, Michigan State and Univ. of CO are currently the leaders. They are well-endowed and have probably received strong grants, which in an academic atmosphere goes a little further than paying fat salaries. Interesting!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Another leader might be the man who decided to tinker with battery technology and started making lithium ion battery motors for cars. He sold his idea to a few companies, and BMW brought him on board to make the 204 hp Mini "E" (E for electric), which can go 150+ miles on a single charge.

I guess technically speaking, this isn't alternative energy, since it would have to be plugged into the grid which is primarily fed by coal, which is probably a bigger polluter than oil.

 

[Iris]

I worked on an offshore research vessel about 15 years ago. I was the computer guy for my boat. We were a part of a fleet of vessels that laid cable on the bottom of the ocean and created a 4D map of the ocean floor. We mostly worked offshore in LA or TX. There is tons of that going on out there every day, 24 hours a day. It is really nothing new. If you have never been on a boat off the coast of LA, then you probably would not believe all the stuff going on. There are boats, ships, and structures (production platforms, rigs, well heads, etc) everywhere. It looks like a city at night. That is not even counting the commercial fisherman.

This block is south of Cameron, LA which is just at the TX and LA border. It is in the normal oil field. It is not anywhere close to us. If you have have ever been to the beach in Cameron or Holly Beach then you will quickly see that you are not missing much. Holly Beach is nestled between Mud Lake and the muddy Gulf. There is a highway that runs between Cameron and Port Aurthur. It is much like 30A except it goes right along the waters edge. It is great for fishing and laying out on the rocks (that are there to keep the road from washing away). You can actually do a Google Maps street view of the area.

I am sure they would never turn our coast into something like that. Oil is LA and TX primary industry and tourism is ours. It just doesn't make sense to jeopardize our primary source of income.

Holy Beach vacation homes were wiped out during Hurricane Gustav or Ike (can't remember). We were there last fall and visited. It is now a ghost town, not that there was much there to begin with. One house remains and happens to belong to my sisters best friend.

And yes, you are right oil is their industy. It used to be fishing and shrimping also, but Katrina and Rita along with the foreign markets has taken most of that. My sister and I inherited timber land throughout SW LA and I say bring on the donkies and drills!!!

I also hope they stay over there. They have no beaches to really ruin.