US says BP move to curb oil leak 'no solution'

[TomCADem]

Source: BBC

BP executive Kent Wells earlier said the siphoning process was "working extremely well".

This was the third attempt it had made to insert a long narrow tube into the leaking pipe, using underwater robots.

* * *

Mr Wells said on Sunday at the firm's US headquarters in Houston, Texas, that over the next few days the company planned to slowly increase the amount of oil and gas flowing through the pipe to the tanker.

* * *

But a joint statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the latest technique was "not a solution to the problem and it is not yet clear how successful it may be".


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8685969.stm

---

BP seems to be making a lot of premature claims that it has stopped the leak of oil.

[Skink]

1. They are only looking to recover the oil.

[dpbrown]

2. Bingo

This doesn't have to do with stopping the leak at all. If they wanted to stop the leak, they would have blown it up a week ago.

[pocoloco]

5. ...fixed things in Iraq....!

[flamingdem]

12. It's worse than that, they are desperate and lying nt

[madrchsod]

3. that`s going to take a lot of tankers....

[Mark D.]

4. To The Above

Blowing it up could cause a greater hole, instability in the shelf, more problems. Need more tankers? My suggested solution, not really a solution but global call to arms, for every nation and every available navy or tanker, engineer or scientist, worldwide getting involved, would address this. Imagine a 'coalition force', not for war, but nations and even private companies, supplying a swarm of tankers, all equiped with tubes designed by the best engineers. Imagine them going in like several drinking straws, all small, as that may work better. Imagine a fleet of international undersea robots then desecending to put a temporary cap like device in a ring around the end of the pipe. Then imagine its design, again, by great minds, is so it can be clamped over those 'straws', forming a very tight seal, but not one that impedes the tubes. Then you would have 99% of the leak stopped. Tankers full of oil going off to where they can be emptied into storage, then returning. This could buy enough time for other permanent solutions to kick in, and allow the clean-up to continue. This is all speculation, I don't claim to know the answer. But this is an effort we need.

[JDPriestly]

9. My idea too, Mark D.

I used to work for a company that had tankers. Someone on DU suggested that tankers don't have the right "straws." Seems they are equipped to transfer oil from a certain vessel and to a certain type of vessel. I think that with a little creativity, the right equipment could be constructed rather quickly that could use the current tanker capacity.

But then, what is the motivation for any tanker company to use its tanker capacity for the benefit of the environment?

How can we expect that kind of conscience or generosity on the part of any corporation in the world.

[scentopine]

6. Mr. President - How much oil is spilling into the Gulf - its a simple question....

why don't we have an answer? Is it because you trust the oil companies to provide the answers? How hard is it to measure the rate of a heavy viscous liquid being ejected from a pipe in this world of high tech submersibles with HD video and a trillion dollar high tech military?

Why is it BP is the one providing updates and news releases and restricting access to the site?

Does BP own the Gulf and they just let us use it for a while for fishing and recreation?

A real leader would have demanded access to the site by independent scientists and government engineers. Instead its in BP we trust.

It isn't complicated to measure the actual flow rate of a viscous fluid being ejected from a pipe with submersibles and HD cameras.

This whole episode stinks to high heaven. America has lost its ability to think critically and solve problems. We are completely dependent on the kindness of oil companies and Fortune 500.

The people are not being told the truth about the severity of this spill.

Jesus. How much worse can this administration get when it comes to protecting Fortune 500?

WHERE IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE GULF? BP IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE AUTHORITY FOR THE UNITED STATES.

This is a national resource being ruined, not BPs private cesspool. Christ - would it be so bad for Obama to take charge and show some fucking balls and have real science and real truth to what is going on? Its more than just who is going to pay for this - we need the truth about what is happening. Obama is commander in chief - he needs to deliver the truth to the people he governs, the people who elected him (or did Fortune 500 elect him as CEO of CEOs?).

If there is a god may he roast every goddamn politician in bed with these goddamn Fortune 500 CEOs.

Nothing but lies from Washington. Lies about war, lies about Wall Street banks, lies about torture, lies about spying, lies about a massive oil disaster. Its just one big fucking lie after another.

[Mojorabbit]

11. It is weird

I can't imagine why we are not getting govt updates, why the best scientists are not in there helping, why with all the technology and satellite info that we don't have better information on what is happening, only one grainy BP video. What does the govt gain by keeping this under wraps? If the oil gets into the loop current then we are fucked here in Fl. All this covering up will do is give us a few more weeks of tourism. It just does not make sense.

[scentopine]

14. Obama stepped in it with his "drill, baby, drill" routine to appease republicans and

now he's trying to wash it off in the gulf of mexico.

[Gore1FL]

7. it is better than nothing

but clearly not the fix.

[JDPriestly]

8. BP is just biding its time until the next crisis creates a new news cycle

and the BP story is, BP hopes, out of the headlines and forgotten.

We must not forget.

[flamingdem]

13. They're probably trying to track down Britney Spears nt

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R

[Trillo]

15. This morning's reports seem to indicate 1/5th of the oil is being captured.

Why no news reports about continuing efforts to capture the other 4/5ths?