If a disaster similar to the oil leak were the product of a terrorist attack or a hurricane,

[tekisui]

would the government call BP, being the only people with the expertise and ability to deal with it?

How would the government response be different if a well were gushing due to an attack or a hurricane?

Or, would it be the same?

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. If I recall correctly, the rigs damaged by Rita and Katrina were left up to the owners.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Ahhhh Rita and Katrina, the Thelma and Louise of the gulf... n/t

[tekisui]

3. I wonder if the same would be true if they were leaking oil at such rates.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Yes, the governemtn does not have the equipment

or personnel

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Uh... yeah.

[tekisui]

5. Yeah?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Yeah.

Duh.

[tekisui]

7. Really?

A terrorist attack?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Ya, RLY.

[tekisui]

9. The US would call BP to the rescue?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. They would demand BP stop it, yes.

I mean, it's not like the U.S. has equipment and engineers sitting around to stop an event, but only in the case of a terrorist attack and/or hurricane, but not in the same event caused by other means.

[hedgehog]

11. The key point is that the oil leak is NOT a natural disaster

or the result of a terrorist plot.

Many large manufacturing plants won't even accept government help to fight a fire on the property unless absolutely necessary because of the special expertise needed. The local aluminum plant here actually sponsors and trains it's own company of volunteer fire fighters because of the special hazards of handling water in the vicinity of molten aluminum and the special breathing apparatus needed in case of a chlorine leak.

The point is, we do not today have a Federal Department capable of capping BP's well. That's BP's responsibility. They broke it, they bought it.

Where we can complain is about the lack of Federal oversight to ensure that BP knew what it was supposed to do and did it. How do we know that there isn't another disaster ready to take place tonight on another rig?

[tekisui]

13. I am with you on all of that.

I guess it is hard for me to accept that there really is nothing more the government could do, now. It speaks more to the very reason why we shouldn't allow rigs this deep.

[hedgehog]

18. I'm with you there. Instead of complaining that Obama

can't part the waters, we need to demand Congressional hearings into all the aspects of underwater oil.

[Ozymanithrax]

12. The U.S. hired oil well experts to cap wells blown up in the gulf war.

Such expertise is maintained in the government, since Congress doesn't usually drill oil wells.

[tekisui]

14. Thanks, I didn't know that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Red Addair team to be specific

got the top billing and contract. They are the elite of the elite when it comes to this, or at least were

[hedgehog]

17. Red Adair's team extinguishes fires and caps wells on land.

What's involved here is a horse of a different color.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Of course but here is a piece of trivia for you

they were there for the Ixtoc I. That one was on water.

[hedgehog]

20. Any idea of the comparative depths? Few people realize that it's very easy to build a

space craft that only has to hold 15 pounds per square inch. Contrast that to building something that can withstand the pressure about a mile down: something like 5800 pounds per square inch!

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. From wiki

Ixtoc I was an exploratory oil well being drilled by the semi-submersible platform, Sedco 135 in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m (160 ft) deep.<1> On 3 June 1979, the well suffered a blowout and is recognized as the second largest oil spill and the largest accidental spill in history.<2><3[br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I_oil_spill

And most don't realize the pressures involved... here or there (which were far less)

On the bright side, dire warnings were also issued after that one went. The fisheries did recover after 10 years... so I am in the full hope that things will be bad, (are bad already thank you) but all those worst case scenarios will not come to be.