Now imagine the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Arctic Ocean

[skeptical cynic]

A spill like this occurring in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Alaska would make the pathetic oil spill response we're witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico look like a well-oil machine.

Sea ice prevents effective use of dispersants and oil recovery equipment (boom and skimmers). Cold water (= cold oil) limits the effectiveness of in situ burning. The toxic oil would have the same impact on the base of the arctic food web that it had on the reproductive stages of organisms like Herring in Prince William Sound. Migrating whales rely completely on the food sources that would be impacted the most by toxic petroleum constituents. Now toss is the difficulty of capturing, stabilizing, transporting and rehabilitating large marine mammals. This is what Obama is approving.

BP is responsible for a series of disasters, beginning with the Texas City Refinery explosion due to failure to follow Process Safety Management requirements, moving on to the the large spill on the North Slope of Alaska as a result of a failed corrosion control program, and now the Deepwater Horizon disaster. This is the company and industry we're going to trust to protect some of the most pristine and challenging habitat on the planet?

At some point, we're going to be told that BP, while "accepting responsibility," isn't to blame for the Deepwater Horizon spill (discharge) because the drilling platform was owned by Transocean, and it was Haliburton that conducted the finishing operations most likely implicated in the disaster. This is the standard Big Oil line of bullshit. Oil companies pay contractors to cut corners and break the rules for them. I promise you that there is a pile of paper (Environmental Plans, Safety Plans, Response Plans, Contracts) that make it look like BP held its contractors to the highest standards. It's bullshit. Contractors get paid by oil companies to cut the corners that they can't cut themselves.

It's bullshit. Just like this cleanup effort is going to be public relations and loss control bullshit.

On edit: Fixed typos

[FreeJG]

1. Have you seen all the past Halliburton contract work on our rigs?

Like the soldiers getting electrocuted in showers, getting bad water, Halliburton also has a history of lousy work on OUR rigs!!! Wake up Amurika...

[Scuba]

2. install a toilet...

... and a stop cap is required... thanks to Michael Feldman of public radio's What Do You Know