 "Photo: Illustration by Greg Toumassian")
Drill, baby, drill?
Like the now-polluted waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the story behind the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is filthy and unclear.
Survivors of the offshore drilling rig disaster said methane gas explosions caused the devastation that took the lives of 11 people and damaged the riser that continues to leak gallons of oil by the hundreds of thousands per day.
According to an article in the New York Times, scientists studying video of the damaged riser said the rate of spill could be between 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil day. The government, however, calculated only 5,000 barrels a day through satellite images.
To confuse matters further, BP, which leased Deepwater Horizon from Transocean Ltd., has denied independent scientists the opportunity to use sophisticated instruments to get an accurate gauge of how much oil is flowing.
In another New York Times article, Tom Mueller, BP spokesman, said, “We’re not going to take any extra efforts now to calculate flow there at this point. It’s not relevant to the response effort, and it might even detract from the response effort.”
Not “relevant” to the response effort? It’s an oil spill. I don’t believe there is a more relevant detail than how much oil is flowing into the ocean.
It’s impossible to know what impact this spill will have on the fishing and shrimp industries, the wetlands and coral reefs, animal and marine life and the people near the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
Considering the possible effect this spill could have, knowing what you’re dealing with during a disaster is quite pertinent to a response effort.
According to government estimates, the spill has dumped between 18 million and 40 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico, exceeding the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989.
This hazy detail of just how much oil has been flowing is especially important when dealing with an underwater oil well.
In the case of the Exxon Valdez disaster, 11 million gallons of the vessel’s approximate 53 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean. Valdez had a finite amount of oil, whereas this well could easily continue to flow oil into the Gulf of Mexico for months.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like BP hasn’t made attempts to limit the flow of the oil spill.
In its latest effort, “top-kill,” BP had more than 1.2 million gallons of heavy drilling mud and junk pumped into the well in an effort to plug the leak and reduce the amount of flowing oil.
The attempt failed.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, BP Managing Director, Robert Dudley, said officials were “disappointed” that top-kill failed and “immediately” started on the new effort, the lower marine riser package fix, which isn’t as complicated as “top-kill.”
For the LMRP fix, robots will be used to sever the damaged riser pipe cleanly. Then a cap will be installed over the blowout preventer, which failed during the original blowout. If successful, the oil will be pumped up to ships on the surface.
Experts have said that the damaged riser is bent, restricting the flow of oil. So cutting the pipe and installing the cap will be risky.
However, according to a National Public Radio article, BP executive Doug Suttles said engineers believe the chance of success outweighs the risk.
It appears the most reliable solution is a relief well that is at least a few months away from completion.
But can the beaches, wildlife and marshland wait?
BP’s reputation has obviously been marred by the ongoing spill, and its market value is also suffering.
The apparent cost-effective repair techniques will not amount to much savings after numerous failed efforts.
Considering these factors, why should BP wait to act?
According to a CNN article, Thad Allen essentially admitted the government doesn’t have the expertise to stop the leak.
The power is in BP’s hands.
The spill has also caused an oil industry backlash, causing questions to arise as to why more safety measures weren’t taken in the pursuit of offshore oil.
While some argue that this is “Obama’s Katrina,” there seems to be a trend bigger than slow response from presidents.
According to a Washington Post article, the Minerals Management Service exempted BP from National Environmental Policy Act’s requirements of detailed environmental analysis – these waivers are approved 250 to 400 per year for the Gulf of Mexico.
MMS gave permission to dozens of oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without approval from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to a New York Times article.
MMS is one of the most important sources of income to the government – second to the Internal Revenue Service.
The administration is trudging slowly around the issue because a lot of money is on the line.
Pushing reforms that would limit such man-made disasters from occurring would, in turn, reduce the profits that are made from the oil industry.
When it’s broken down to the simplest details, it’s the triumph of money over all that is good and decent.
Kill, baby, kill.
Reach Greg Toumassian at: opinions@thepolypost.com
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