To drill, or not to drill?

[Evan]

I saw the results of a survey today saying that the vast majority of Americans are opposed to continuing the ban on offshore oil drilling. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-1 ... EyB8OsH77L&" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Honestly, I'm a bit shocked. In reading a little closer, though, it looks like most of the folks interviewed were in the Midwest. That got me wondering - would Gulf Coast state residents feel differently? So...what do you all say?

[Todd]

This latest disaster, of historic proportions, is obviously swaying many votes. Not defending anyone but there are thousands of wells out there, and have been there for many years, and we have had little problems compared to the amount of oil we pull out of the gulf.

It is really easy to say no to drilling when we drive our V8 cars to work, drink from plastic water bottles, type on our plastic keyboards, etc. and pay less for it than most other countries. We have to find other ways and spend the money doing that and try like hell to wean our country from oil. We cannot have it both ways, no offshore drilling and lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and still consume the amount of gas/oil/petroleum based products/etc. Our great country is a slave to oil whether we like it or not. Look at our (The USA) consumption of oil compared to others and you can see the greatest problem.

[Rik]

I would expect a bunch of 'ban all drilling' from Gulf coast residents as a very understandable emotional response to what is happening in the Gulf right now. I'm of the opinion that if the regulators had been paying attention and enforcing the rules, if proper engineering standards had been followed (and enforced) and if we didn't keep pushing the drillers out to ever deeper water, that drilling makes sense.

We can safely drill. However, as BP has shown, greed and the push for more and more and more often gets in the way of doing things correctly. Not sure yet whether it is media vilification or whether it is actual practice but it seems that BP has a history of getting out on the edge of the rules. There were several months of warnings from the Deepwater rig. They cut some corners on well casings. People didn't speak up and, when they did, they were shut out and told to be quiet.

So, yes, I think we should drill but with considerably more oversight than has been exercised to date.

[justabucup]

Drill baby Drill!

Also get rid of two things.

1. Goverment regulation

2. The 75 million dollar liability cap.

Make the industry have to have insurance to cover possible issues. I would believe much more in a private insurance company having an oil company doing things right then a gubberment employee.

[Todd]

Make the industry have to have insurance to cover possible issues. I would believe much more in a private insurance company having an oil company doing things right then a gubberment employee.

There is not a private insurance company out there that would take that risk. If they did want to take it how much do you want to pay for a gallon of gas? Just in this present disaster the lawyers are lining up and salivating and already have held seminars here in Pinellas County on how to deal with the oil claims and we have no oil here.

[1okbyme2]

justabucup said, 1. Goverment regulation...........get rid of it........ why?

[justabucup]

justabucup said, 1. Goverment regulation...........get rid of it........ why?

Make fines and jail time for the companies and their executives that cause the problems enough bad people go broke and go to jail then the good ones will be able to run a good business. I do not trust the goverment to oversee much of anything let alone something they nothing about. See oil, cars, and the financial sector.

The more I have learned about BP the more I wonder how they were allowed so much unwattended oversight. Hence why I do not trust goverment to do a proper job.

[Evan]

Make fines and jail time for the companies and their executives that cause the problems enough bad people go broke and go to jail then the good ones will be able to run a good business. I do not trust the goverment to oversee much of anything let alone something they nothing about.

Interesting. And just how would you propose to enforce such penalties without government involvement??

[justabucup]

Make fines and jail time for the companies and their executives that cause the problems enough bad people go broke and go to jail then the good ones will be able to run a good business. I do not trust the goverment to oversee much of anything let alone something they nothing about.

Interesting. And just how would you propose to enforce such penalties without government involvement??

They would not be involved in the business rather in justice roll when a business is libale for the the problems it causes.

[Evan]

More food for thought from a recent op/ed article:

"Some people might say that the outcry against BP was slightly hypocritical in a nation dominated by car culture... a nation where it is thought that the cost of a tank of gas, like the price of a baguette in France or a pint of beer in Britain, could not climb above a certain amount without provoking social unrest. A nation where the Hummer was considered a suitable recreational vehicle for your average suburban gorilla. A nation that was, until very recently, governed by men who thought climate change was what happened when you drove from Miami to Maine."

Full text is here:
http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/ ... s_ss=email" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rik]

Every time I read the "we are the problem" stuff about the oil spill, I get a bit pissed off. It's nothing but a diversionary tactic.

Yes, we have a seemingly insatiable thirst for oil. However, that does not excuse irresponsible drilling by BP. Nor does it excuse incompetent oversight by our federal regulators. All of the ongoing investigations point to the fact that they knew they had a problem with the well but kept on going despite the warnings.

We simply do not, or shouldn't, allow industries of any type to use the "there is so much demand and pressure to keep the price down that we just can not afford to operate in an environmentally safe manner" excuse.

Should we be looking at ways to reduce our demand for oil? Absolutely but our demand (and price pressure) does not excuse what BP has done in the Gulf.

[Evan]

Rik - it was not my intent to piss you (or anyone) off by posting this. And I'm certainly not trying to insinuate that our greed for oil excuses the careless actions of BP and the lack of oversight by our gov't. All I'm saying is that if we're going to point fingers, it seems hypocritical not to include ourselves and our own gluttonous resource use patterns.

[Rik]

I don't see it as hypocritical at all. Yes, we demand more and more oil. That demand in no way excuses the actions of BP. I can absolutely guarantee you that in BP's actions, they never once said "gee, we have to do this even though we know it's a bad well because Americans want more oil." More likely, their discussions were around how many millions they'd already poured into the well and if they didn't keep going, they'd lose it all and the corporate stock would suffer.

Our demand and the actions of BP are two separate issues. Both need to be dealt with, yes. However, if a paint manufacturer poured pollutants into a stream, that same argument - if Americans didn't demand so much low priced paint - would be laughed at.

The people using that argument are using it to promote a different agenda.

[DaveR]

The people using that argument are using it to promote a different agenda.

Amen Pops.