"They could have gotten 90 percent of the oil before it spread."

[dixiegrrrrl]

Burning should have started a week ago, former NOAA official says.

Asked why officials waited for a week before conducting even a test burn, Gouget said, "Good question. Maybe complacency was the biggest issue. They probably didn't have the materials on hand to conduct the burn, which is unconscionable."

He said the NOAA officials involved at the Unified Command Center in Louisiana know how to respond to spills, and know burning should have started as soon as possible after the initial release was detected. Gouget said they may have been overruled.

"It may have been a political issue. The burn would make a big big plume and lots of soot. Like Valdez, the decisions to get the resources mobilized may not have occurred until it was too late," Gouget said. "This whole thing has been a daily strip tease. At first they thought it was just the diesel, then they said the well wasn't leaking. It's unfortunate they didn't get the burning going right away. They could have gotten 90 percent of the oil before it spread."

"I keep reading that burning will only get a small portion of the oil. Not true. This one is a continuing release," Gouget said, with lots of "bright, fresh oil" that should burn fairly easily.

The rest is worth the read also. The guy is pointing out the mistakes.
Bet his testimony will be valuable at some point.

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/burning_should_have_started_a.html

[bamademo]

1. Sounds like an attempt to blame Obama.

As soon as they put out the call for volunteers to start washing wildlife, I'm there. I'm about 6 1/2 hours away up here in Huntsville, Al.

[greencharlie]

2. I don't care WHO gets the blame...

but this will be a big mess... we're talking Valdeez+ but in an area where LOTS of people live...

[bamademo]

3. Not time for blame time for action. Go down and volunteer if you can get away.

Mobile is already starting to call for volunteers.

[hayu_lol]

4. This is heavy crude and does not burn easily...

hard to get burning and keep burning. Takes time to get the ships to the site that could be containing the spill. The initial effort was to probably look for the survivors. Even choppers need a place to land and the rig was sinking.

Help, in these circumstances, was probably miles away.

[greencharlie]

5. so...

it blew 2 weeks ago... and what's been done since?

[greencharlie]

6. and just yesterday some guy with BP said the burning went well. nt

[Massacure]

8. It isn't heavy crude. It is light sweet crude.

Exxon-Valdez was a heavy crude spill. Light crude is easier to work with than heavy crude, but this is still going to cause a bigb big mess.

[TransitJohn]

10. It's not heavy crude.

It's light to medium. Just nitpicking. :hi:

[malaise]

9. Sounds like BP fucked it up

No surprise

[NecklyTyler]

7. It could have been 100% prevented if Al Gore was sworn in as President back in 2001

The Supreme Court gave us Bush and Cheney who in turn gave us deregulation

[TransitJohn]

11. You know these leases are approved years if not a decade or more out, right?

Al would've just canceled offshore drilling in the GOM? I don't think so.

[NecklyTyler]

15. You know these leases would have had more stringent operating procedures under Gore, right?

[greencharlie]

13. think so? Mr Hypocrite woulda' stopped drilling? nt

[NecklyTyler]

14. An Al Gore Administration would not have allowed the degradation of operating procedures

A Gore Administration would have had a stringent set of rules for environmental protection and a robust inspection program as opposed to the 'hands off' and 'let the industry police itself' attitude of Bush the lesser

[misanthrope]

12. Look at the replies below the story...

...You'll see the uphill battle that progressives face in that part of the nation, which might as well be tagged "Tea Party Central."

Look, too, at who worries about the economic impact and why. Some are concerned about the ecology for its own sake while others are mostly concerned with the impact on tourism and seafood industries.

[babylonsister]

16. In everyone's defense, they are all valid concerns. Seafood

industries and tourism employ people; if I worked there, I'd be concerned. And the ecological concerns go without saying.