U.S. may end deepwater drill ban early

[mike r]

Source: Associated Press

Now that the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history has effectively been stopped, the White House is considering an early end to its moratorium on deepwater drilling.

But four months after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, regulators have only started to make good on promises to overhaul drilling. Tough measures are stalled in Congress. A $1 billion emergency response network proposed by the industry won't be operational for another year.

And while doomsday scenarios from the BP spill, like oil washing up the East Coast, have not come to pass, there are no guarantees that drilling will be any safer once it does resume. What's changed is "not enough to make a big difference," said Charles Perrow, a Yale professor who has studied the spill in the Gulf.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has halted deepwater drilling until Nov. 30, saying the BP spill demonstrated the industry wasn't prepared for a massive underwater blowout. He's ordered rigs to re-examine their equipment and safety procedures, and next month plans to order new safeguards for blowout preventers.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38708886/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/

[Cal Carpenter]

1. Anyone surprised?

It's so fucking predictable.

"What's changed is "not enough to make a big difference," said Charles Perrow"

Yeah, tell me about it.

[Sgent]

2. Good

the reasons for it were grasping at political (not safety), and it would put 10'000's of people out of work for no good reason.

[Control-Z]

3. For no good reason?

Are you serious?

[Sgent]

7. Ok... that was a bit over the top

but it emphasizes the fact that the time limit set was arbitrary. Why 6 mos, and not 5 yrs, or 3 months? He needed to set goals for a resumption of drilling with mileposts and markers, not an arbitrary time limit.

[flyarm]

4. When is our government going to test what is going on on the east coast ? the Huge Fish die offs..

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2010/08/12/days-tar-balls-york-beach-massive-fish-kills-stretch-nj-massachusets/

do watch the video's!

and about the oil washing up on the east coast..when is our government going to test what is now going on, on the east coast????????

[defendandprotect]

5. This would be sheer INSANITY ... but, no, I'm not surprised -- I'm sickened!!

[Shining Jack]

10. +1

I totally agree.

[pitohui]

6. high time the ban was lifted

as for the yankee from yale they found to piss on our recovery and pretend that nothing has changed, please...we don't care what you think, frankly

"yale" is not much of a credential as far as i'm concerned, we just had 8 yrs of "yale" and those guys are fucking awful

people in louisiana want to work, they just want it done safely -- BP is not gonna be cutting corners for a long, long time to come, now that they've seen what corner cutting cost

[Bluebear]

9. 'BP is not gonna be cutting corners for a long, long time to come'

Yes, they have proved themselves impeccable during this whole ordeal.

[Shining Jack]

11. Absolutely.

They set a new precedent in sweep-under-the-rug excellence.

[Romulox]

16. "Let the market decide!"

"BP is not gonna be cutting corners for a long, long time to come, now that they've seen what corner cutting cost"

:rofl:

[TheWebHead]

8. if we're going to use 1/4 of the world's oil supply

it's mighty arrogant of us to ban offshore drilling while continuing to consume more oil than any other country, offshoring the oil spill risks to other nations.

[ixion]

12. Ah, excellent. Let's get back to the business of destroying the Gulf...

great. :puke:

[Nihil]

13. Slurp slurp slurp slurp ... waaaaahhhhhh!

"Want oil! Want oil now!!"

Slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp ...

[Odin2005]

14. WTF?

[Romulox]

15. "May"?

Take it to the bank! :hi:

[derby378]

17. Drill, Baby, Drill - Spill, Baby, Spill

Fuck the Mississippi delta - we didn't need it, anyway. :grr:

[Lightning Count]

18. Needs to be ended unless they can explain why it is 6 months.

As opposed to 7 months, 6 years, 14 years, etc.

[Jkid]

19. And then the media will forget this and move on to other (Read: profitable) stories

Trust me...

[Bragi]

20. We are just SOOO smart!

That's the thing the pessimists are missing.

We are so smart, we can drill for toxic substances miles and miles below the sea, and don't ever have to worry about an accident that would result in spewing oil into sensitive ocean ecosystems.

We are soo smart that, in the unlikely event an accident was to occur, well then, the oil will just disappear, and the ocean will clean itself up.

Yaay us! We are invincible.

- B