stop talking arse, it doesn't work like that.
And your environmental point above? how is the relevant? BP (to the best of the knowledge of those of us in and connected to the industry) met all US deepwater drilling regs and their procedure was approved by the US regulatory authorities. So they are fairly unlikely to be criminally negligent due to the minor matter of not committing a crime. They didn't "cause" the spill, there was an accident. If you choose to drill for oil more than a mile down, bad shit sometimes happens. If the US wasn't so fucking desperate to be self-sustainable in their insatiable appetite for oil so they don't have to deal with "forrins" then they wouldn't be begging companies to drill in high risk scenarios. No-one. to. blame. but. themselves.

Hopefully the only decent thing to come out of it might be the US public giving slight more than two short shits about it's energy policy in the future.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 17:36, 2 replies)

The US energy policy is screwed up, I admit.
We have no need to drill that far out, when other countries are drilling even closer in the Gulf. And I agree with the MMS (the regulatory arm) - I dealt with them with oil and gas with Indian tribes and the MMS is as corrupt as they are bloated.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 17:49, closed)

In the pursuit of fairness
I should point out that the US are hardly alone in this, but they are by far the worst. The combination of massive desire for oil coupled with the mentality that it must be US oil is ...well.... mental.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 17:55, closed)

I see nothing wrong with oil
It seems to me that our ability to drill, transport and refine has greatly improved over the years. I've walked by equipment in the mountains that you could hardly tell were there.

They try to scare the public with photos from Kazakhstan and the like.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 17:59, closed)

except that it's not inexhaustible.
our ability to drill has improved. We need to up our recovery from spent wells, realistically, rather than hitting new ones. And the deeper we go, the higher the risk. Especially once we are away from fixed rigs. Humanity wants it then it needs to be prepared to pay the price. This, right now, is the price.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 18:06, closed)

The environmental liability comes under
what is known as "Strict, joint,and severable" liability. Basically, there is no excuse even if you are following standard industry practices or are in compliance worth regulations. It's a very strong and useful piece of legislation.

I am fairly familiar witht he issues invovled in drilling 5000 feet deep adn also agree that serious problems can happen. In this case however, there is more and more information coming to light that BP and its subcontractors were cutting corners and not following standard safety practices in an area they knew had high pressure issues. This is where the criminal liability comes in under US environmenatl regulations.

I completely agree with your statement about the US energy policy,. It was written by the ex chair of Halliburton and his masters in teh oil industry. Our policies are totally fucked.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Thu 17 Jun 2010, 13:27, closed)