Environmentally we need to know as much as possible about the oil in the Gulf. You cannot effectively deal with any problem unless you have some idea about its parameters. This is an unparalleled event. That is all the more reason to muster as many resources as you can get to study it.
I realize that you can't let a brazillion boats loose to take measurements. However, the one of the few groups that got any data about the subsurface oil was the crew aboard the Pelican. This was the response to that:
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On May 6, NOAA called attention to its role in financing the work of a small research ship called the Pelican, owned by a university consortium in Louisiana. But when scientists aboard that vessel reported over the weekend that they had discovered large plumes undersea that appeared to be made of oil droplets, NOAA criticized the results as premature and requiring further analysis.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20noaa.htmlWhile the findings did need more measurement and analysis is true, there was little or no effort to obtain such. In addition, the Pelican's efforts were not exactly greeted with open arms.
NOAA has responded with their own research like this:
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“We’re in the early stages of doing that, and we do not have a comprehensive understanding as of yet of where that oil is,” Jane Lubchenco, the NOAA administrator, told Congress on Wednesday. “But we are devoting all possible resources to understanding where the oil is and what its impact might be.”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20noaa.htmlIt is a month after the blowout, and they are in the EARLY stages?
The response from BP and NOAA with equipment to research the spill is this:
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Of the 19 research vessels owned by NOAA, 5 are in the Gulf of Mexico and available for work on the spill, Dr. Lubchenco said, counting a newly commissioned boat. The flagship of the NOAA fleet, the research vessel Ronald H. Brown, was off the coast of Africa when the spill occurred on April 20, and according to NOAA tracking logs, it was not redirected until about May 11, three weeks after the disaster began. It is sailing toward the gulf.
At least one vessel under contract to BP has collected samples from deep water, and so have a handful of university ships. NOAA is dropping instruments into the sea that should help give a better picture of conditions.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20noaa.htmlThey waited until May 11th to redirect their main research vessel?????
I don't understand this reaction at all. It was quite clear after a few days that this was a unique catastrophe. Looking at it at the very least could provide valuable information to use for any such other blowouts like this, Gawd forbid they happen.
Providing information to the public presents another problem. Giving out raw data is silly. However, openly disparaging the work of trained scientists is damaging both to the scientists and the government. When BP is allowed to control access near the well for any measurements, it is obvious who is running the show.
This is also a damning event:
"When CBS News tried to reach the beach, covered in oil, a boat of BP contractors with two Coast Guard officers on board told us to turn around under threat of arrest."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/18/national/main6496846.shtmlThis type of thing is being picked up by people and groups here and there. When all the problems gaining any info from the government and BP is presented as whole at some point, it will be viewed very unfavorably to say the least.
The American people and the MSM appear to only be able to really catch on to one event at a time. They will catch on to this at some point, and then it will be coverage 24/7. What has happened will appear as a mess. Even if all agencies and companies had thrown every resource in every area at the problem, the MSM would try their best to make it seem paltry. They don't even have to pretend with this event.
When the dimensions of this catastrophe does reach the attention of the majority of Americans, it will seem to have come out of nowhere as a full blown storm. When they look back at the information that was available and the responses made to the event, they will realize a problem was reported all along. However, they will also realize the efforts with BP to prevent a necessary response in some areas such as basic research.
BP was never going to come out of this without looking like the criminal company that it is. Unfortunately, the government is going to take a major hit too. They have been too closely allied with BP this entire time. They did respond to the blowout very quickly. After that, the effort to do more in regard to the spill itself has been poor.
Bushco did get this whole ball rolling toward the problem. However, the response to the problem itself drops right in the lap of this administration. Saying that there really was nothing else they could do is a specious argument. Throwing up your hands and leaving it to BP and the Fates is not a responsible reaction.
Once the blowout occurred, it was as if an oily Katrina was materializing very quickly. Unlike Katrina, it cannot be seen coming on radar to be presented by a weatherman every day. It will probably do the greater damage like a slow motion Katrina, but the effects will be readily apparent. Closing beaches and fishing areas gets people's attention very quickly.
The preparation for this does land mainly with Bushco. This problem shouldn't have been a complete surprise. Information such as this was known:
<snip>
Scientists have long theorized that a shallow spill and a spill in the deep ocean — this one is a mile down — would behave quite differently. A 2003 report by the National Research Council predicted that the oil could break into fine droplets, forming plumes of oil mixed with water that would not quickly rise to the surface.
That prediction appeared to be confirmed Saturday when the researchers aboard the Pelican reported that they had detected immense plumes that they believed were made of oil particles. The results were not final, and came as a surprise to the government. They raise a major concern, that sea life in concentrated areas could be exposed to a heavy load of toxic materials as the plumes drift through the sea.
Under scrutiny from NOAA, the researchers have retreated to their laboratories to finish their analysis.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20noaa.htmlThe political problem could be huge. People already don't trust or care for the government. However, the scope and intensity of those feelings is varied. The president retains high positive polling numbers, and the Democrats as a whole are viewed more favorably than the Nopers. However, this could severely damage the entire party.
The government should have been and should be seen as open to the American people in all areas about this. The Gulf isn't some far away place that will remain out of sight, out of mind. It is a resource for the entire country. Pointing the finger at BP and others will not absolve this government from any responsibility. Ultimately, the government should be the last word.
This could damage any credibility that the American people as a whole have with this government. Once that trust is damaged to a great extent, it is very hard to get it back. Every effort in any area by the government will be looked on with a jaundiced eye by many.
I am not anti-Obama or anti-Democrat. If my Mama had been in charge and acted like this, I wouldn't be more astounded or enraged.
I do not understand, and I don't believe I ever will.
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