BP welcomes military help for larger Gulf oil leak

[KoKo]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion

BP welcomes military help for larger Gulf oil leak

NEW ORLEANS – A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is even worse than believed and as the government grows concerned that the rig's operator is ill-equipped to contain it, officials are offering a military response to try to avert a massive environmental disaster along the ecologically fragile U.S. coastline.

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"It's premature to say this is catastrophic. I will say this is very serious," Landry said earlier Wednesday.

From the air, the thickest parts of the spill resembled rust-colored tentacles of various thickness. The air was thick with the acrid smell of petroleum.

Amid several of the thicker streaks, four gray whales could be seen swimming in the oil. It was not clear if the whales were in danger.

BP says work will begin as early as Thursday to drill a relief well to relieve pressure at the blowout site, but that could take months.

Another option is a dome-like device to cover oil rising to the surface and pump it to container vessels, but that will take two weeks to put in place, BP said.

Winds and currents in the Gulf have helped crews in recent days as they try to contain the leak. The immediate threat to sandy beaches in coastal Alabama and Mississippi has eased. But the spill has moved steadily toward the mouth of the Mississippi River and the wetland areas east of the river, home to hundreds of species of wildlife and near some rich oyster grounds.

The cost of the disaster continues to rise and could easily top $1 billion.

More than two dozen vessels moved about in the heart of the slick pulling oil-sopping booms.

Earlier Wednesday, Louisiana State Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham told lawmakers federal government projections show a "high probability" oil could reach the Pass a Loutre wildlife area Friday night, Breton Sound on Saturday and the Chandeleur Islands on Sunday.

In Plaquemines Parish, a sliver of Louisiana that juts into the Gulf and is home to Pass a Loutre, officials hoped to deploy a fleet of volunteers in fishing boats to spread booms that could block oil from entering inlets.

"We've got oystermen and shrimpers who know this water better than anyone," Plaquemines Paris President Billy Nungesser said. "Hopefully the Coast Guard will embrace the idea."

More at.....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion

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(Whales were seen swimming in the oil...and other info in the article) :-(

[Captain Hilts]

1. How 'bout the British military?

[happygoluckytoyou]

18. nah...AMERICAN military offers to nuke it...teabaggers offer to steep it

[DrDan]

2. I am sure the taxpayer will get the bill

why carry that expensive insurance - let the taxpayer cover it.

"Wales" swimming in the oil? It has alredy reached Wales? Good heavens - traveling faster than I thought.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. More socialized oil drilling.

Spill, Baby, Spill! :patriot:

[dotymed]

4. Everyone should see this.

:kick: Even if they are billed, they won't pay, we will. Socialized drilling is right, except for the privatized profiting.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. If they don't pay the money comes out of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund

Up to the first billion anyway.

I think people here might do well to refresh themselves with the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez spill and the subsequent creation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Right now the most important thing to focus on is attempting to offset as much of the horrendous environmental damage about to be done by this spill. Then we can focus on the environmental and financial impact of the disaster and use this as an example of why we don't need more offshore drilling. After that we can focus on stricter regulations for the rigs which already exist and perhaps even higher fees per barrel for offshore drilling to help offset the cost of such tragedies if there ends up being a deficit.

[Arctic Dave]

16. Up to the first billion. That amount could be used up in no time.

I t says that it was raised to 2.7 billion. Hopefully the money is actually in the account and not used to cover some other endeavor.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. I didn't know it had been raised. That's good news indeed.

It's been years since I had a reason to follow that bit of legislation. The fund is really just to assure cleanup if a smaller (is there such a thing?) oil company were to create an environmental disaster which exceeds their financial means to clean up.

I don't really expect BP to renege on paying for the cleanup. They'd never again be permitted to tap an offshore well if they did. Which would end up costing them way more in the long run than the cleanup of this disaster. I only mention the fund to assure the masses here that there is recourse available if a corporation were to spill and run. Perhaps this incident could even light a fire to feed new fees into the fund while the all to real ramifications of offshore drilling are still fresh in the peoples minds? One never knows.

[City Lights]

5. FUCK YOU, BP!

I DEMAND that the government make a HUGE profit off of cleaning up BP's mess. Enough with privatized profits and socialized losses.

I am LIVID!

:nuke:

[scentopine]

6. Exxon pays no US income tax...

Off-shore drilling? Off-shore tax shelter.

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/04/exxon-mobil-paid-zero-income-tax-offshore%20shelter-wal-mart-general-electric-forbes

[Magleetis]

7. Mobilize all available resources

This oil spill must be stopped. I get the feeling the big corporate oil companies just don't care. They are not doing enough. Who cares how much it costs.

[Uncle Joe]

14. I agree, they will have to work the costs out later.

At this point the priority is stopping the oil spill.

[doc03]

8. Privatise their profits socialise their screw ups. What about the

deficit? I say let them pay for the clean up if it bankrupts them let them go under. I saw the guy on CNBC this morning I wanted to reach through the TV and choke the SOB.

[doc03]

10. Why isn't Palin running her mouth about this mess?

Drill Baby Drill

[hatrack]

9. But I thought they didn't want Nasty Big Government interfering in their business?

Oh?

Really?

You mean, when they're confronting massive environmental damage - and extremely costly damage at that - then Nasty Big Government assistance becomes essential?

Interesting!

[burf]

11. I'm sure the Koch Bros will

send all their resources to help their BP brethern clean up the mess. Then they can hire "Oil Slick Sarah" to do some promo work on "Drill Baby Drill" to put the oil companies in the public's good graces again.

Seems to me, I remember when the rig first blew up the national news on the radio (can't remember which network, like it makes a difference), said there was no danger from oil leaking from the well.

[FailureToCommunicate]

13. Will Tea-Partyers and Republicans be okay with adding THIS cost to the deficit?

[Arctic Dave]

15. Sounds like the Exxon Valdez all over again.

They did the same type of thing after it ran aground.

[Eric_323]

19. Is BP in charge of the whole operation

or does the chain of command simply run through them?


The Coast Guard has urged the company to formally request more resources from the Defense Department.


Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was briefed Thursday morning on the issue, said his spokesman, Capt. John Kirby. But Kirby said the Defense Department has received no request for help, nor is it doing any detailed planning for any mission on the oil spill.