Thursday, June 03, 2010
Capping the bastard
Here's a nice summary of BP's various failed attempts to cap that farookin' undersea well, and the various remaining "options." All seem extremely complicated, with various details "not worked out" (such as what happens to the ship draining off the oil if a hurricane comes). David Brooks' column on managing complexity seems applicable.
2 Comments:
By 
JPMcT, at
Thu Jun 03, 08:16:00 PM:
So...enlighten me here.
We refuse to allow drilling in Anwar.
We refuse to allow near offshore drilling.
We refuse to build nuclear power plants.
We are frowning on coal technology.
Solar and wind have no hope of meeting our power needs.
So...the petro companies that wish to service this dumb, spiteful giant (that's us, by the way) are forced to extend themselves to the limits of their technology by drilling in mile-deep water.
Inevitably and predictably, something goes wrong. It goes wrong AFTER the company has been commended on their safety record.
The leak is a mile deep and they cannot guarantee they can quickly fix it...being, as we recall, forced to work at the limits of the available technology.
Conclusion: It's their faultand we need to bring criminal charges.
My question - HAVE WE GONE INSANE????
By Ray, at
Thu Jun 03, 11:51:00 PM:
Well, the federal government has no ability to do anything about the leak itself. But they are IN CHARGE. Therefore, they must do something. Getting in the way of people who can actually fix things is something, therefore they must do it.
