Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, in an interview with The Guardian: In an bullish interview with the Guardian at BP's crisis centre in Houston, Hayward insisted that the leaked oil and the estimated 400,000 gallons of dispersant that BP has pumped into the sea to try to tackle the slick should be put in context. "The Gulf of Mexico is … Read More
How Much Oil Is Actually Being Spilled?
When the oil spill first occured, we were told it was about 1,000 barrels per day. Then BP upwardly revised its estimates a few days later… to 5,000 barrels per day, and that remains the official estimate. But within the past few days, we've been treated to video of the actual spill from deep underwater… And now we read this: … Read More
What New Offshore Drilling Will Get Us
Answer: Not much, as this picture-worth-a-thousand-words chart shows us…
New Plans To Plug The Oil Spill Include “Top Hat” and “Junk Shot”
They have to try new things because the "Giant Dome" failed. By the way, I see a McSweeney's List in the offing, entitled: "Pornographic Term or Device to End Oil Spill?"
Dig A Little Deeper, NYT
An article on the front page of today's New York Times contains quotes from various conservation groups indicating that perhaps the oil spill isn't as bad as people think it is. Example: Other experts said that while the potential for catastrophe remained, there were reasons to remain guardedly optimistic. “The sky is not falling,” said Quenton R. Dokken, a marine … Read More
Question Of The Day
So…. why are small-government conservatives — you know, the ones who are always complaining that the federal government is inherently inept — so quick to complain that federal government didn't move, and isn't moving, fast enough on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? You can't please these people: They didn't want the kind of government regulation that would have prevented such a … Read More
Quote Of The Day
Former Bush White House Press Secretary Dana Perino on the oil rigger explosion that led to the massive Gulf oil spill: “I'm not trying to introduce a conspiracy theory, but was this deliberate? You have to wonder if there was sabotage involved” Actually, Dana, it's pretty clear you are trying to introduce a conspiracy theory, one right up there with "Obama was … Read More
The Oil Rig Explosion That Started It All
Look for stairs to get a sense of scale: The latest — President Obama visited Louisiana yesterday afternoon to observe the response effort to the BP oil spill, which he called a “potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” “Your government will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to stop this crisis,” he pledged. But Obama said taxpayers would … Read More
Fun Facts About The Oil Spill Off The Louisiana Gulf Coast
The sea of oil spewing from the mangled pipeline is already larger than 31 nations. This initial oil well explosion, which killed 11 men, occured when a contractor was cementing the well. Who was the contractor? Our old friend, Halliburton. As of now, the oil spilled equals about half of the Exxon Valdez. In another ten days, at the current rate of … Read More
About Obama’s Plan To Do Offshore Drilling
In the wake of the biggest old spill catastrophe since Exxon Valdez, it looks like plans to do more off-shore drill-baby-drilling is on hold: As some Democratic lawmakers call on President Obama to suspend his plans to expand offshore oil drilling, the White House today said that there will be no new domestic offshore drilling until the investigation into the … Read More
Hey Sarah — How’s The Oily Drilly Thing Working Out For Ya?
That seems to be the refrain as the news goes from bad to worse: NEW ORLEANS — Government officials said late Wednesday night that oil might be leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate five times that suggested by initial estimates. In a hastily called news conference, Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry of the Coast … Read More
Happy Earth Day
PORT FOURCHON, La. – The oil rig that exploded, caught fire and then sank 36 hours later could lead to a major oil spill, officials said Thursday… The well could be spilling up to 8,000 barrels of crude oil a day, the Coast Guard said, and the rig carried 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry … Read More
Correction
My source was wrong about the CO2 emissions from the Ejasdfhaksdjalg Volcano (see post below). This is the correct graph:
Global Warming Fact Of The Day
Number of glaciers in Glacier National Park in 1850: 150 Number of glaciers in Glacier National Paro today: 25 [The U.S. Geological Survey took two more off the list yesterday]
Coal is Antiquated and Dangerous
Seems to me that in the 21st century, we shouldn't be sending men into miles-deep holes in the ground - a 17th century technology – in order to provide energy for all of us. The amount of energy that the Earth receives from the sun in one hour could (if harnessed) fufill the entire planet's energy needs for an entire year. Seems … Read More