So What Happened to "Drill Baby, Drill!"?

[MattusMaximus]

Given the recent events in the Gulf with the massive oil spill, and how the enormity of the problem is just now becoming apparent, I wonder how this will play out politically for those in the GOP who were screaming "Drill Baby, Drill!"?

Couple this with the fact that documents have been uncovered that BP was attempting to downplay the seriousness of a major spill - linky... (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100501/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill)

... Documents also emerged showing BP downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the offshore rig that exploded. ...

I also seem to recall that at a press conference last week, the BP official tried to downplay how bad things were, and then the Coast Guard official stepped in and disagreed quite strongly with him. Does anyone have a link on that?

I'm wondering how the pro-business, pro-oil, anti-regulation folks are going to try dealing with this one? For that matter, how are the anti-government people going to deal with it when it is now clear that only the feds are going to be able to deal with this mess (BP is, in my view, showing that they cannot be trusted)?

Politically, I think this is going to be a nightmare for the "drill first" crowd.

[thaiboxerken]

They'll wait a few months til the collective memory of the USA forgets this disaster and then they will chant the mantra again.

[JihadJane]

They'll wait a few months til the collective memory of the USA forgets this disaster and then they will chant the mantra again.

It'll probably take longer than a few months and they'll have to change their mantra now that Drill Baby, Drill sounds too much like Drill Baby, Spill. That's OK, though, because it'll be change we can believe in...

[MattusMaximus]

Politico has a good article on the political implications of this whole mess...

Oil spill politics may hurt both parties (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36620.html)
Talk about an I-told-you-so moment.

President Barack Obama was put on the defensive over oil Friday – as a fast-growing spill in the Gulf of Mexico forced the White House to reassure the public that Obama’s plans for expanded offshore drilling won’t proceed without a full review of this accident.

The spill gives fellow Democrats and environmentalists who objected to Obama’s plan a vivid piece of evidence to use against it, as Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said the notion of expanded drilling is “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill.

But Republicans who are usually quick to criticize Obama have barely raised a peep over his handling of the crisis – even as the White House scrambles to deflect questions over why it took nine days to understand the full extent of the spill.

The Republican reticence is a sign that the political danger over the oil spill cuts both ways, especially for a party that made “drill baby drill” a chant at its presidential convention. ...

[sesshin]

Sarah Palin's response from Facebook:

We’ve all been shocked and saddened by the tragic events in the Gulf of Mexico. My heart breaks for coastal residents who are facing fears of the unknown impacts of the oil spill.

As an Alaskan, I can speak from the heart about the tragedy of an oil spill. For as long as I live, I will never forget the day the Exxon-Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef and millions of gallons of North Slope crude poured into the waters of our beautiful Prince William Sound. The spill was devastating to so many Alaskans who, like my own family, make their living on the water from our commercial fishing industry. “Heartbreaking” was the word my husband Todd, an Alaska Native and trained oil spill responder, used to describe the scene as we watched it unfold on land and water that we feel is sacred.

Alaskans understand the tragedy of an oil spill, and we’ve taken steps to do all we can to prevent another Exxon tragedy, but we are still pro-development. We still believe in responsible development, which includes drilling to extract energy sources, because we know that there is an inherent link between energy and security, energy and prosperity, and energy and freedom. Production of our own resources means security for America and opportunities for American workers. We need oil, and if we don’t drill for it here, we have to purchase it from countries that not only do not like America and can use energy purchases as a weapon against us, but also do not have the oversight that America has.

In the coming days, there will be hearings to discover the cause of the explosion and the subsequent leak. Actions will be taken to increase oversight to prevent future accidents. Government can and must play an appropriate role here. If a company was lax in its prevention practices, it must be held accountable. It is inexcusable for any oil company to not invest in preventative measures. They must be held accountable or the public will forever distrust the industry.

This was the position I took as an oil and gas regulator and as Governor of Alaska when my administration ramped up oversight of the oil industry and created a petroleum-systems-integrity office to monitor our oil and gas infrastructure for potential environmental risks. I took a lot of heat for the stand I took “against the oil industry” (which is how political adversaries labeled my actions). But we took tough action because there was proof of some improper maintenance of oil infrastructure which I believed was unacceptable. We instituted new oversight and held British Petroleum (BP) financially accountable for poor maintenance practices. We also filed a Friend-of-the-Court brief against Exxon’s interests for its decades-old responsibility to compensate Alaskans affected by the Valdez spill, and I took other actions “against” the industry which ultimately helped hold it accountable.

All responsible energy development must be accompanied by strict oversight, but even with the strictest oversight in the world, accidents still happen. No human endeavor is ever without risk – whether it’s sending a man to the moon or extracting the necessary resources to fuel our civilization. I repeat the slogan “drill here, drill now” not out of naiveté or disregard for the tragic consequences of oil spills – my family and my state and I know firsthand those consequences. How could I still believe in drilling America’s domestic supply of energy after having seen the devastation of the Exxon-Valdez spill? I continue to believe in it because increased domestic oil production will make us a more secure, prosperous, and peaceful nation.

Our hearts go out to all Americans along the coast affected by this recent tragedy, especially those who lost family members in the rig explosion, and our prayers go up for a successful recovery. May spill responders be safe.

- Sarah Palinhttp://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=384560338434

[steve s]

... and they'll have to change their mantra now that Drill Baby, Drill sounds too much like Drill Baby, Spill.

Already done. Palin has changed it to "Drill here, drill now."

Steve S

[Cleon]

Given the recent events in the Gulf with the massive oil spill, and how the enormity of the problem is just now becoming apparent, I wonder how this will play out politically for those in the GOP who were screaming "Drill Baby, Drill!"?

Oh, they stopped shouting that the moment Obama said he was going to open up more offshore sites to drilling.

[thaiboxerken]

Oh, they stopped shouting that the moment Obama said he was going to open up more offshore sites to drilling.

Then they started complaining because he wanted to study impacts before actually approving leases.

[Dorian Gray]

Turned into "Spill Baby, Spill!"

Hey, did you hear that it was Halliburton that did the cementing?

Conservatives click here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html)
Liberals click here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html)

[The True Scotsman]

What I've been wondering this whole time is "What happen to that bacteria we made that "eats" oil?"

[Unabogie]

Conservatives click here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html)
Liberals click here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html)

You win the internets. :D

[Accidental Martyr]

Sarah Palin's response from Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=384560338434

Anyone believe she actually wrote this? ;)

[Accidental Martyr]

They'll wait a few months til the collective memory of the USA forgets this disaster and then they will chant the mantra again.

It will take longer than that for the people on the Gulf Coast to forget. I'm afraid the shrimping industry here in Alabama is about to be completely devastated.

[quixotecoyote]

Maybe, just maybe, this will get spun pro-nuclear energy?

[Safe-Keeper]

Hey, did you hear that it was Halliburton that did the cementing?

Conservatives click here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html)
Liberals click here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html):D

[Checkmite]

Maybe, just maybe, this will get spun pro-nuclear energy?

I wouldn't complain. :D

[steve s]

Maybe, just maybe, this will get spun pro-nuclear energy?

Glow, baby, glow. :boxedin:

Steve S

[KingMerv00]

Turned into "Spill Baby, Spill!"

Hey, did you hear that it was Halliburton that did the cementing?

Conservatives click here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html)
Liberals click here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html)

:D

You sir, are my new favorite poster.

[MattusMaximus]

Maybe, just maybe, this will get spun pro-nuclear energy?

I'd be happy to see that. Know nukes! :)

[pipelineaudio]

Maybe, just maybe, this will get spun pro-nuclear energy?

Please let it be so! The electric 4x4 vehicles that are coming out lately are nothing short of mega-awesome and I'm ready to give up my dino-gas for one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKxBiR11oZo&feature=related

[Darth Rotor]

This thread is rather pointless.

If you want to get your brain wapped around risk assessment, the first thing you do is count the number of oil and natural gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, operated by all national or private entities.

The next thing you do is get a grip on what safety features, and risk mitigation hardware/software/decision templates, are or are not required, and why.

Deep water drilling is not a new method. The policies, either that promoted by Senator McCain, which I agreed with, or that President Obama recently voiced, which I also agreed with, are only tangentially linked to risk assessment. As a number of the oil industry professionals who post on these boards have pointed out in the thread on the platform disaster, there are ways to accomodate risks of accident.

As with nukes thirty years ago, you are asking a dishonest question. It isn't whether or not you use nukes, (drill for oil) it is HOW you do it (which adds cost, of course, when you have to use redundant systems and fail safe equipment, and such) to reduce the risks of mistakes or hitches turning into disasters.
What I've been wondering this whole time is "What happen to that bacteria we made that "eats" oil?"
I thought the same thing, then realized that with the magnitude of this spill, I'd be promoting microbial obesity were I to advocate that. We can't have such dire dietary impact on the environment, it would't be right ...

DR

[JihadJane]

What I've been wondering this whole time is "What happen to that bacteria we made that "eats" oil?"



There's rather a lot of oil, there was a delay in applying dispersants, the wind has whipped the oil into a blancmange-like substance that bacteria cannot get at (same applies to tarry globs). The oil will penetrate deep into marshland mud where lack of oxygen inhibits bacterial activity.

Oil-eating bacteria occurs naturally.

[DC]

Oil-eating bacteria occurs naturally.

Humans ? :D

[Darth Rotor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I

You are all invited to take a walk into the recent past, wherein a drilling rig was leaking for nine months. When I was in flight school, in 1980/1981, in Corpus Christi Texas, you'd still get globs of oil/mud/gunk washing up on the beaches in the Coastal Bend.

I am rooting for BP to get that dome/cap/something on the well up there by Louisiana as soon as they can.

DR