TJP

 Depending on the position of the leaks and the damaged piping, BP could attempt to lower a steel structure that would cover the area of the mangled leaking pipe. The steel structure would be equipped with a flexible hose connected to floating tanker, see figure below.

The mangled pipe would be contained in the box-like structure. If, however, the Deep Water Horizon drill rig is covering the leaking pipe, the above scenario might not work.

The public would to hear solutions from the “Drill Baby Drill Proponents.” Sarah Palin and Michael Steele were two of the leading Republican proponents, but they’ve very silent. Clearly, both had little understanding of the risks associated with offshore drilling. Yet, they pretended to be knowledgeable and worthy of providing advice and policy developing on offshore drilling.  

Media Matters notes that Fox News and a host of other Republicans are fervent advocates for offshore drilling. They point to Glenn Beck who said “If you really care about the environment you would let us drill for our own oil” and Newt Gingrich who said “Drill here, drill now, pay less.”

In 2008, George W. Bush convinced Congress to lift the 27 year old ban on offshore drilling outside of the Gulf of Mexico and Barack Obama departed from his campaign promise and compromised with pro-drilling Republicans in exchange for carbon emission reduction and energy efficiency initiatives.

The oil industry wants the public to believe that the new drilling techniques are safe and efficient. Unfortunately, the BP Deep Water Horizon drill rig explosion on April 20, 2010 and the ensuing oil spill prove otherwise.  

The problem with offshore drilling and nuclear energy is that proponents do not understand the processes and requirements for safely extracting offshore crude oil or for disposing of nuclear waste. If they had elementary understanding of the processes, they would be less eager to advocate for dirty energy.

The Palin’s mantra of “Drill Baby Drill” can be translated as “Pollute Baby Pollute.” And, it signals the limited capacity of proponents of offshore drilling for analyzing potential risks associated with their proposals.

The Republican governor of Virginia and Republican commentator Bill Kristol have also advocated for drilling off the coast of Virginia. What would be the environmental and economic impact of a crude oil spill off the coast of Virginia?

The party of NO should have said no to offshore drilling. However, they only say NO when policies would benefit voters and the environment; they say YES when policies benefit businesses and self.

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