Oil, the Environment, and the Limits of Human Abilities

I've not written much about the tragic oil spill in the Gulf.  I do believe that it could have been prevented, but there have been a number of factors that have conspired to create this situation. 

First is our propensity to use oil and oil related products.  As Charlie Crist said on the Today show this morning, this disaster should be a wake up call to Americans that we need to change our habits when it comes to oil usage (and he's a Republican).  But consider how we drive -- how I drive.  I drive a small car, but . . . There are all the plastics we use, etc.  Oh, and he said that the judges decision to stop the moratorium on drilling was, to use his own words -- "ludicrous!"  (Again, he's a Republican).

Then there's greed.  Consider that this accident might not have happened had the companies used the same technology used in the North Sea deep water drilling, adding an extra layer of protection of a remote shut off system as required by Brazil and Norway, but not the US.  Yes, this has never been tested in real life, and there are questions of its usefulness, but we'll never know in this case because BP didn't want to spend the extra 500,000 and under the Bush Administration, it was decided not to require them.

As with the drug situation that compounds immigration, we as Americans are our own worst enemies.  We want what we want without the consequences.  But that isn't the way life works.  The more we push the boundaries, the more likely we're going to have trouble.  The reality in this case is that the only people who know how to fix the problem are the ones who caused it.  And as for the clean up, well, you can't really do clean up well until you shut off the source of the problem.

I saw yesterday that Kevin Costner has a partial solution to getting oil out of the water.  Let's try it.  Let's do what we can, but let's also remember the role we all play in the problem.  Americans say they want smaller government, but then complain when the government isn't there to save them.  Ironic, isn't it!

I'll not be saying a whole lot more on this issue, but the point I'd like to end on is simply this -- we often make the beds we sleep in!

Drill, Baby, Drill -- Well Maybe Not

There is (or was) a broken oil well spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  The owner of that well, BP, has been trying all manner of ways of plugging this, but nothing like this has been tried at depths like this.  I've not heard much of a cry from the proponents of drilling lately, but hey if we drill for oil in sensitive places, these kinds of accidents are bound to happen.

So, it's time to vent.  First of all, we all must take responsibility for this accident, for it is our desire/need to drive cars that use gasoline that leads to the need to drill for oil in such sensitive places.  I am as complicit in this as anyone, even if I drive a smaller, relatively fuel efficient car. 

Second, I find it interesting as well that many of the same people that are calling for smaller government are the ones crying the loudest for government help.  I'll leave things there.

Finally, I find it interesting that the President is being blamed for not handling this properly.  But, until the well is capped there is little that can be done.  This isn't the same as Katrina, and so those comparisons need to be dropped.  By all reports the Administration is doing all that it can, but as long as the oil spewing out, there's not much that can be done topside.  Hopefully this top-kill attempt will do the job, and ultimately it is the petroleum industry that has the know-how to get this done.  Then, when the oil stops, the job of cleanup can start and the government will be greatly involved. 

So, back to the point -- we can drill baby drill, but if we drill baby drill it's likely that such disasters will happen.  Are we willing to live with the possibility, or is now the time to get on with serious efforts at alternative energy sources?