One of the world's leading authorities on oil well management has warned it could take until Christmas to cap the Gulf of Mexico spill that is devastating the southern coast of America – and BP's reputation.
Nansen Saleri, a Gulf drilling expert, said he hoped BP would meet its August timetable for capping the blown-out well, but made it clear success was not certain.
"I know it is a frightening assessment but everyone should be prepared for a worst-case scenario, and that could mean a Christmas timeframe," said Saleri, chief executive of the consultancy group Quantum Reservoir Impact. "The probable outcome is much better but the technological challenges … are enormous."
The futures of BP and of wildlife around the Gulf of Mexico are largely dependent on the rapid success of two "relief" wells that are being drilled in an attempt to halt anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of oil a day that is flowing out of the stricken Macondo subsea hole.
Saleri, who dealt personally with four blowouts during a career with Saudi Aramco and Chevron, said the BP fire and spill was the worst he had seen. He believes it may cause more damage than the Ixtoc I blowout 30 years ago, which is regarded as the most damaging of its kind.
Just when you cannot believe that the news about this spill could get any worse.
I was trying to imagine HOW this tragedy might affect the elections in November if it is still unresolved, and to be honest I have no idea if this hurts the Democrats more than the Republicans, the other way around, or if EVERYBODY gets smeared by the spill.
It seems that the person who may suffer the biggest backlash will surely be the President, and we can all be thankful that HE is not up for re-election right now. I absolutely do not believe that is fair, but he is the face of government, and government surely does not have control of this situation.
Obama is trying to get some things in place to help the people affected by the spill however. For one thing he is getting ready to force BP to set aside 20 billion dollars for clean up and damages, as well as preparing for the long term effects this spill might have on our country.
“In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11,” the president said in an Oval Office interview on Friday, "I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come.”
But with all of this focus on President Obama, and his administration's response to this calamity, I think we need to be reminded as to just how we came to be in this predicament in the first place.
We know one thing, if SP was in the WH, BP would get away with this almost scott free. The Obama administration and the Dems may be able to push more environmental regulations? And much can be done in that vein in the next two years that will help in the re-election. Unfortunately the wheels in Congress turn slow.
ReplyDeletethe well is compromised in several place, leaking under the ground in several places, spewing 3000 cu ft of methane for every barrel of oil, and is sitting on seismically unstable ground. NO ONE really has any ideas when or if they can even stop it. relief wells are trying to hit a pie plate 18K ft under ground with no guarantee that they will work. did I mention the well is compromised in several places?
ReplyDeleteBmaz has a very good article over at Emptywheel. Should say at Firedoglake.
ReplyDeleteThe oil spill just shows me how low the Republican party as sunk. Instead of working together with the Democratic party to solve the issue, the Republicans are turning it into pure political theater.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that no BP or government spokesperson is willing to step up to the microphones to say "oil is NOT leaking from the seabed, the well is intact".
ReplyDeleteThey think we are REALLY, REALLY stupid.