Do we really know just how serious the oil spill is?

[rainman]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/mas...from-bp,17564/

What would life be without The Onion?

[Genestho]

EDIT: Link shows video of how the thing works..http://www.wwl.com/Kevin-Costner-s-a...ployed/7441867


BP has given the green light for funding of a device that can separate oil from water.

Development of the machine, which uses a centrifuge to separate the fluids, has been backed by actor Kevin Costner to the tune of $25 million.

John Houghtaling, Costner's chief partner in the project, told WWL First News that the oil company has ordered 32 of the devices for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

"In a matter of weeks, we can be manufacturing ten of these a week," Houghtaling said. "So we're hoping by the first of August to have all 32 of these things in the Gulf."

[BoristheBiter]

http://www.wwl.com/Kevin-Costner-s-a...ployed/7441867


BP has given the green light for funding of a device that can separate oil from water.

Development of the machine, which uses a centrifuge to separate the fluids, has been backed by actor Kevin Costner to the tune of $25 million.

John Houghtaling, Costner's chief partner in the project, told WWL First News that the oil company has ordered 32 of the devices for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

"In a matter of weeks, we can be manufacturing ten of these a week," Houghtaling said. "So we're hoping by the first of August to have all 32 of these things in the Gulf."

But 50 days ago they diddn't what to know.

[Genestho]

But 50 days ago they diddn't what to know.

Wonder if the change in mind has anything to do with this?

"The company is to adopt a new choreography to its oil spill response with Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP’s chairman, expected to lead the company’s political fight to maintain control over its destiny, including key decisions such as the dividend and the level and type of claims it believes are reasonable for it to pay.

Bob Dudley, BP’s managing director and an American from Mississippi, will be in day-to-day control of BP’s Gulf of Mexico response which has been organised into a separate business unit. Mr Hayward, who has been leading BP’s oil spill response in the US for the past 40 days, will return to a more orthodox chief executive’s role at the company’s London headquarters, travelling back to the US on a regular basis. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...-politics.html

[davereid]

BP has given the green light for funding of a device that can separate oil from water.

You of course are thinking of the machine as able to separate oil from water, thus allowing clean water to be returned to the Gulf.

BP are thinking of the machine as able separate oil from water, thus providing oil without the inconvenience of drilling for it.

And there is plenty of raw product to be working with. Might even be a cash handout from US taxpayers for a few of the machines.


Edit : I have watched the video. I am surprised the device has a patent, as it is a simple centrifuge doing nothing different to the thousands in use every day, making everything from blood products to nuclear (bomb) fuels.

[Naki Rat]

EDIT: Link shows video of how the thing works..http://www.wwl.com/Kevin-Costner-s-a...ployed/7441867


BP has given the green light for funding of a device that can separate oil from water.

Development of the machine, which uses a centrifuge to separate the fluids, has been backed by actor Kevin Costner to the tune of $25 million.

John Houghtaling, Costner's chief partner in the project, told WWL First News that the oil company has ordered 32 of the devices for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

"In a matter of weeks, we can be manufacturing ten of these a week," Houghtaling said. "So we're hoping by the first of August to have all 32 of these things in the Gulf."

At 200 or even 400 gallons per minute capacity they are going to need a shitload of these things operating for a bloody long time in the Gulf of Mexico.

And as bad as this situation is, and continues to grow, the shit hitting the fan is going to increase out of sight at the arrival of this season's hurricanes.

[Genestho]

At 200 or even 400 gallons per minute capacity they are going to need a shitload of these things operating for a bloody long time in the Gulf of Mexico.

And as bad as this situation is, and continues to grow, the shit hitting the fan is going to increase out of sight at the arrival of this season's hurricanes.

You really meant oil hitting the fan, eh NR?

Day 52 (June 11) flight over the Gulf with Marine Biologist Carl Safina - President of Blue Ocean Institute.


"putting the oil company in charge of the cleanup is like putting the rapist in charge of the abortion.."
Good to see independant journalism coming out.

[YellowDog]

An American friend of mine said to put a wedding ring around the hole so it stops putting out.

But it appears from the live feed that it has either stopped or it has got so much worse that they have changed cameras to show men in orange boiler suits wandering around?

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_inte...andi_ROV2.html

[Naki Rat]

I expect what you were describing as "men in orange boiler suits" is offshore workers in industry standard hi-viz overalls. That would be because that ROV was back on deck with the camera still online. The overall situation is far from over.

There are 12 ROV feeds available here which are operational depending on whether each particular ROV is in service at the time.

I caught this on National Radio yesterday which is of great interest and really puts the overall situation into perspective. For example have you considered the fact that we are wringing our hands over this event on a website that wouldn't exist if not for the oil industry and its products It's a 40 minute interview so grab a coffee and pull up a chair.

[McWild]

Not sure if it has been posted as I haven't read the whole thread, but I found http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/ really useful in visualising it. It puts the area of earth affected by the spill over a location of your choosing. Scary shit.

[Genestho]

I expect what you were describing as "men in orange boiler suits" is offshore workers in industry standard hi-viz overalls. That would be because that ROV was back on deck with the camera still online. The overall situation is far from over.

There are 12 ROV feeds available here which are operational depending on whether each particular ROV is in service at the time.

I caught this on National Radio yesterday which is of great interest and really puts the overall situation into perspective. For example have you considered the fact that we are wringing our hands over this event on a website that wouldn't exist if not for the oil industry and its products It's a 40 minute interview so grab a coffee and pull up a chair.

Eh, far from over alright, infact it's looking like it just keeps getting worse, with the talk of fissures in the seabed, air quality declining from the dispersants, methane plumes...
George W Bushes energy advisor commented June 15th link

No hand wringing here mate, see post #7, my thoughts have been I'm not so sure that we're being shown the whole picture with allegations of media being banned from the site.

[Winston001]

Good discussion. At the core of the problem as an earlier poster said, is mankinds love affair with oil. Hey, I wouldn't do without it. Plastics, fuel, fertiliser, rubber, the list of oil-derivatives is huge. Companies such as BP push the boundaries of engineering science simply to meet the insatiable demand. These businesses are owned and operated daily by human beings - none of whom have the god-like ability to plug a hole 5000 feet in the ocean floor. It just ain't that simple.

If the demand for oil was more muted - say, like the market for cotton, then oil exploration would proceed at a more careful pace. We have all played a part in this disaster and ironically the USA which is the most oil-addicted nation, for once faces the real life effects. Rather bitter-sweet for countries like Nigeria which have had decades of oil-industry pollution.

[CookMySock]

So much lovely fuel being spilled!

It reminds me why you shouldn't drink and drive! You might spill some!

Steve

[mashman]

At 200 or even 400 gallons per minute capacity they are going to need a shitload of these things operating for a bloody long time in the Gulf of Mexico.

And as bad as this situation is, and continues to grow, the shit hitting the fan is going to increase out of sight at the arrival of this season's hurricanes.

Well looks like we're ushering in a new method of collecting oil... a real cynic would say this was the goal all along... that oil platforms etc... cost too much to build, run and a blah blah... chuck a few of these things in the water circling the hole that you're about to drill and presto... instant cost(ner) savings...

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7...-gulf-cleanup/

[mashman]

"Methane, a natural gas, dissolves in seawater and some scientists think measuring methane could give a more accurate picture of the extent of the oil spill."

Does that mean if Methane is chargeable under ETS that land locked countries should pay more and islands shouldn't worry about it because the seawater that surrounds the island will dissolve the methane? just wonderin like...


Methane in the Gulf... Still a fuckin mess

"
In some areas, the crew of 12 scientists found concentrations that were 100,000 times higher than normal.

"We saw them approach a million times above background concentrations" in some areas, Kessler said."
"

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/technol...u-s-scientist/