Nov. 2009 - Sen. Landrieu Mocks Oil Safety Concerns: "19,999 Were Not On Fire..."

[Hissyspit]

Sigh... She might as well be Jindal. :(

http://www.jedreport.com/2010/05/flashback-landrieu-mocks-offsh.html

FLASHBACK: Landrieu mocks offshore drilling safety concerns

This has got to be an uncomfortable fact for Mary Landrieu: six months ago, in a hearing on offshore oil drilling safety, Landrieu sided with David Rainey, BP's Vice President of Exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, who had just vouched for the safety of drilling in the Gulf.

Moments after Rainey said drilling in the Gulf of Mexico "has been going on for the last fifty years, and it has been going on in a way that is both safe and protective of the enviroment," Landrieu derisively mocked drilling safety concerns, dismissing the risks of drilling as inconsequential.

Landrieu's comments focused on a offshore drilling disaster in Australia in which just over 800,000 gallons of oil were spilled, saying that such an accident could not occur in the United States because our safety regulations wouldn't allow such a mishap. At the time, The Hill reported:

An oil spill halfway around the world has flowed all the way to Capitol Hill and the Senate fight over offshore drilling.

The spill off the western Australian coast spewed oil into the ocean for 10 weeks, eventually engulfing a platform and the attached drilling rig in flames.

Opponents of offshore drilling are now using images from the spill as a warning sign of what could happen off the U.S. coast if expanded drilling is allowed. ... At the same hearing, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), a strong oil industry ally, warned against using the spill to smear the industry’s safety record – or block new drilling off U.S. shores.

Remarkably, Landrieu made her comments sitting in front of an image of the Australian rig engulfed in flames. Pointing to it, Landrieu said: "This rig would not be allowed to operate in the United States of America."

"The fact is these things happen... Since we have 4,000 structures like this in the Gulf, I'm going to rough that we have 20,000 in the world. So, 19,999 were NOT on fire.... The oil spills from this would fill up one-third of the Reflecting Pool outside the Capitol."



VIDEO AT THE LINK

[Adsos Letter]

1. "19,999 Were Not On Fire..."...

Well, perhps that's the point, Senator...it ONLY TAKES ONE!

ON EDIT: I get my political offices confused, at times... :dunce:

[suffragette]

2. A site called Skytruth has some good coverage

of this. Found it the other day when looking for more info about the Montara spill.


Here's what she was saying in Nov 2009 at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

http://blog.skytruth.org/2009/11/skytruth-testifies-at-senate-hearing.html



"The fact is, these things happen." - Senator Mary Landrieu

Louisiana's Senator Landrieu, a staunch supporter of drilling, accused us of lying to the American public and scaring them with our tales of disaster. She doesn't seem to trust the American people to be able to make up their own minds about the pros and cons of offshore drilling if they are presented with the information. All we did was testify about real things that have really happened, to make the point that despite advances in technology, mistakes are still made and accidents still happen - and with offshore oil production, the consequences still can be severe.

The senator tried to downplay the Montara spill, claiming it was only about 800,000 gallons and would only fill 1/3 of the Reflecting Pool out in front of the Capitol. Now I have no idea how she came up with that number, or how big the reflecting pool is, but I do know that the U.S. Coast Guard categorizes oil spills into three size classes: minor, medium and major. And a "major" spill is anything larger than 100,000 gallons.

Near the end of the hearing, Sen. Landrieu stood in front of a large poster of the flaming Montara oil platform, waved her hand at it, and said "These things happen."

[golddigger]

3. Landrieu is one of the top 10

stupidest people on the planet.

[Angry Dragon]

4. To repeat what was said in another thread on DU

This is NOT A SPILL!!

There is no limit to how much will pollute the environment. This not a ship that has only so much that can escape.

Unlimited amount!!

[Hissyspit]

6. It's an arterial sever. nt

[spanone]

5. politicians have no consciences..it's not uncomfortable for her...she's a career politician

from a family of politicians

[mfcorey1]

7. When is her term over? .She has been in office a day too long.