Should the US Continue Off Shore Drilling Despite The Spill?

[Henry Hawk]

ftw says just the opposite, that it is black and THAT is all oil....you say it is brown because it is all oil....one of ya is wrong...

i guess the bottom line is it is STILL spewing, and it needs to get capped....keep fingers crossed the top kill procedure works....and they get started on it real soon...

[Henry Hawk]

when does the gov get involved?....at what point does the Obama admin step up?......and WHAT could they do that is any different than BP?.....

[me]

If the government gets any more involved than it already is and they still can't get it stopped then it's all on the government and the way it is now it's still all on BP.

when does the gov get involved?....at what point does the Obama admin step up?......and WHAT could they do that is any different than BP?.....

[Henry Hawk]

If the government gets any more involved than it already is and they still can't get it stopped then it's all on the government and the way it is now it's still all on BP.

YOU are right me, they NEED BP to put this out because they do not have the resources to do so....if BP don't do it, then nobody can....

[followsthewolf]

Didn't we learn in kindergarten that we are supposed to clean up our own messes?

[Palehorse]

YOU are right me, they NEED BP to put this out because they do not have the resources to do so....if BP don't do it, then nobody can....

Which goes right to the question of this topic; "Should the US Continue Off Shore Drilling Despite the Spill?"

The short term answer is pretty obvious, no.

If the very industry that is supposed to be the experts at this, does not have the procedures, methods, and technology necessary to address a situation like the one presently taking place, then why should we let them move forward with exploiting our natural resources and placing our environment, and the global environment as well, at risk?

The long term answer is maybe. Once they have the procedures, methods, and technology in place and properly validated, then MAYBE the US should revisit this possibility. But not before.

[Palehorse]

when does the gov get involved?....at what point does the Obama admin step up?......and WHAT could they do that is any different than BP?.....

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Since the moments after the oil rig explosion on the night of April 20, DHS has played a lead role in federal response efforts—deploying the U.S. Coast Guard to search and rescue the 126 people aboard the rig, and quickly leading efforts to establish a command center on the Gulf Coast to address the potential environmental impact of the event and to coordinate with all state and local governments. Secretary Napolitano leads the National Response Team, an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution events.

U.S. Coast Guard
The Coast Guard has played a major role from the very beginning, when it responded to the explosion on a search and rescue mission to save lives. Pursuant to the National Contingency Plan, Rear Admiral Mary Landry was named the Federal On-Scene Coordinator to lead a Regional Response Team which was stood up that included DHS, DOC/NOAA, DOI and the EPA, as well as state and local representatives. As the event escalated, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen was announced as the National Incident Commander for the administration's continued, coordinated response—providing additional coordinated oversight in leveraging every available resource to respond to the BP oil spill and minimize the associated environmental risks.

Department of the Interior (DOI)
The morning after the explosion, Secretary of the Interior deployed Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes to the Gulf Coast to assist with coordination and response to the event, and provide hourly reports back to the administration. Since then, DOI has played a vital role in overseeing BP's response efforts while—at the President's request—working to deliver a report with recommendations on what, if any, additional safety measures should be required for offshore operations. Secretary Salazar has announced that inspections of all deepwater rigs and platforms are underway.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Since the BP Oil Spill, EPA has provided full support to the U.S. Coast Guard and is monitoring and responding to potential public health and environmental concerns. Environmental data, including air quality and water samples, will be posted and frequently updated on this site as it is collected and validated by EPA's response teams along the impacted coastlines. This data is meant to determine potential risks to public health and the environment: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
As the nation's leading scientific resource for oil spills, NOAA has been on the scene of the Deepwater Horizon spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
Weather Forecast: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/


Small Business Administration
SBA is making low-interest loans available to small businesses in the Gulf Coast regions of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi suffering financial losses following the April 20 Deepwater BP oil spill that shut down commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) are available immediately in designated counties and parishes of each of the four states to help meet the financial needs of qualifying small businesses following the oil spill: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/

Department of Defense (DOD)
DOD continues to support the ongoing response effort by lending Naval and Air Force bases to provide vital staging areas for boom deployments and other activities, and providing C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Aerial Spray Systems, which dispense chemical dispersant—capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight. DOD also plays a significant role in the National Response Team, helping to lead the coordination of response actions for the federal government. Secretary of Defense Gates has authorized use of Title 32 status for up to 17,500 National Guard members in four states: Alabama (3,000), Florida (2,500), Louisiana (6,000) and Mississippi (6,000).

Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service
The Fish and Wildlife Service continues to support the joint agency response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico with experienced specialists, land managers, and support personnel. Booms to capture and deflect anticipated oil are being deployed at Breton National Wildlife Refuge, where thousands of brown pelicans and shorebirds are currently nesting. The Service also is initiating Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration activities in this incident to assess and address the long-term damage to impacted resources: http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill

Department of the Interior's National Park Service
The National Park Service is focused on human safety and resource protection in eight national parks in the Gulf area. These parks are working to assess resources, collect baseline data, coordinate boom placements, plan for responsible cleanup, install barriers for shore bird and turtle nest protection, and plan for potential park closures, if necessary: http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Oil spill response workers may be exposed to many different chemical, physical, biological, and psychological hazards. These hazards vary depending on the type and location of the oil spill, type and stage of response, degree of coordination between entities involved in response and recovery, and the workers' specific tasks. Therefore, occupational and environmental hazards need to be identified, assessed, and monitored in each oil spill response: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/oilspillresponse


http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill


How much more involvement do you want/expect from the government?

[Henry Hawk]

Which goes right to the question of this topic; "Should the US Continue Off Shore Drilling Despite the Spill?"

The short term answer is pretty obvious, no.

If the very industry that is supposed to be the experts at this, does not have the procedures, methods, and technology necessary to address a situation like the one presently taking place, then why should we let them move forward with exploiting our natural resources and placing our environment, and the global environment as well, at risk?

The long term answer is maybe. Once they have the procedures, methods, and technology in place and properly validated, then MAYBE the US should revisit this possibility. But not before.

not even going to argue this one, I agree 100%...

my question about the obama admin stepping up was more about actually stopping the spill.....IF, BP says they cannot stop it....what next?...

I don't really expect an answer, just posing a thought....

[Palehorse]

not even going to argue this one, I agree 100%...

my question about the obama admin stepping up was more about actually stopping the spill.....IF, BP says they cannot stop it....what next?...

I don't really expect an answer, just posing a thought....

Next, should topkill prove a failure, you will see the United States Military take command and control of all operations, and initiate protocols to protect US Shorelines and citizens from the oil. Operations surrounding the capping of the well will continue to be performed by BP personnel and industry experts, but under US military command and control.

[Anne]

Isn't BP a UK company and how far off shore is the well? If it is in international waters what authority does the US really have?

[The Troll]

not even going to argue this one, I agree 100%...

my question about the obama admin stepping up was more about actually stopping the spill.....IF, BP says they cannot stop it....what next?...

I don't really expect an answer, just posing a thought....

  Just what do you want him to do, that he hasn't done already, Henry.

  The United States has the best military moneyh casn buy and can kill and tear up about anything.  The U.S. can send people to the moon and send rockets to about every planet in the solar system.  Send a submarine down under the sea, longer the the people can live who drive them.

  But the U.S. didn't drill for oil, have oil rigs, or have blowouts or oil spills.  The mistake the United States did wrong, we took BP's word and the other oil companies word.  Guess what, they lied through their teeth.

  Then you ask that half bright question, "when is Obama going to do something" in your Tinkerbell question.  What would John McCain and Sara Paylin done better.

The Troll 

[Palehorse]

Isn't BP a UK company and how far off shore is the well? If it is in international waters what authority does the US really have?

The deep water horizon was operating 40 nautical miles off the cost, but within the exclusive economic zone which extends out to 200 nautical miles from the end of territorial water, the baseline of which begins at the low water mark. (TW = 12 miles off any coast on average).

The "exclusive economic zone" provides the coastal nation with control over all resources contained within it, including fish, mining, oil exploration, and pollution.  BP could not operate within this zone without a written agreement with the United States that subjects it to US law and control.

Laws of the sea. The term "international waters" is a misnomer, since a very large number of regional agreements, conflicts surrounding exceptions to territorial waters agreements, and global agreements encompass what the landlubber would assume are international waters. . .

[Anne]

Thanks.

[The Troll]

  HEY, MAYBE THE TROLL WAS WRONG.

  We should have brought Sara in on this BIG PROBLEM IN THE GULF.  With her being the part time Governor from Alaska.  She could see Russia from Alaska and Alaska does have oil.

The Troll     

[Anne]

PH, I don't want to be a pest but what happens to the 200 mile zone when one country is closer than 400 miles to another country, as in the US and Cuba? Couldn't they both claim ownership of mineral and fishing rights? Sorry, I will try not to get off topic here again.