Last week a BP owned oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana. Over ten people were killed or are presumed dead, but sadly that's not even the biggest concern. The oil rig eventually sank into the ocean uncapping its main oil line stemming from the ocean floor. The result: possibly the biggest US environmental disaster in our short history.
Just yesterday, nine days after the rig exploded, I saw a BP representative asking for help from the government and other oil companies. This means two things. 1 - they have not received additional help from the government or other oil companies and 2 - nobody (the oil company, other oil companies, the government or other parties) were prepared for this. Now, believe me, I am a huge fan of Barry Obama, but why the hell has it taken ten days for the White House to be hugely concerned about this situation? Hurricane Katrina anyone?
That very same BP representative told CNN that the oil could continue pumping out of this line for up to 90 days. That's three months! That's 5000 barrels of oil a day. That's completely unfathomable. How can they be this unprepared?
To me, it's the same as Big Coal. Big Oil has buddied up with politicians and allowed for relaxed regulations. It makes zero sense to me that we have no immediate solution to a problem that's not that unlikely to occur. Somewhere, somehow, a lot of people have dropped the ball and this time, wildlife is going to pay the price.
So, pray, hope, meditate, cross your fingers or do whatever it is you do when you want a certain outcome to the future, that "officials" are able to turn off this destructive line of environment hating, United States sludge in the very near future. It isn't that hard to figure out just how devastating this could be. 90 days of this and we'll be worrying about much more than the Louisiana and Florida wildlife.
Please, someone, start overreacting.
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