Coast Guard commander explains, defends relationship with BP

[charlesg]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/23/coast-guard-commander-explains-defends-relationship-with-bp/?fbid=mdEz5pLtUtz

May 23, 2010
Coast Guard commander explains, defends relationship with BP

Washington (CNN) – The point man for the Obama administration’s response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is defending the government’s relationship with energy giant BP.

“Well, what is happening is there is - it's really a collaboration, including the rest of the oil industry as well,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Allen, the National Incident Commander for the Obama administration’s coordinated response to the spill, added: “So there is a lot of oversight going on there.”

Asked by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley why BP – rather than the federal government – is leading the effort to stop the gushing well at the sea floor, Allen said the unique resources necessary to deal with situation are in private hands...

[Lerkfish]

1. move along, nothing to see here

[mzteris]

2. pertinent part:

"“I don't think it's an issue of control,” Allen said. “ … Access to the discharge site is controlled by the technology that was used for the drilling, which is owned by the private sector. They have the eyes and ears that are down there.” . . .

“There's an immense level of frustration that it has taken this long ,” Allen said. “We are exhausting all of the technical possibilities. The fact of the matter is we're on entirely new ground here on how we deal with oil spill responses.”

Until now, the protocols for responding to a major oil spill “have been pretty much premised on the criteria that were established by the Exxon Valdez,” Allen said.

“But a lack of human access to the discharge point, the fact that we're looking at everything through remotely operated vehicles, this is an entirely new world,” he said.

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. That no one could have EVER conceived of when they issued the permits.

:eyes:

[merh]

7. I guess he ought to read the proposals that have been submitted

to his subordinates and to BP.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/gulf-oil-spill-supertankers-051310

There are TWO objectives that must be dealt with simultaneously and independently.

Stopping that damned gusher.

Containing the oil, getting it out of the friggin Gulf.

[mzteris]

3. double post. delete.

[Junkdrawer]

4. The lying sack of shit is still using the 5,000 bbl a day number...

...

Asked to compare the Gulf oil spill to the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster 20 years ago, Allen said that by the time the leaking well is finally capped, the amount of oil discharged could be comparable to the total released by the damaged ship.

...


Exxon Valdez released 250,000 bbl of crude. At 5,000 bbl a day, it would take 50 days to equal Valdez.

HOWEVER, the most credible scientific estimates are now at 95,000 bbl a day. At that rate, they've spill 11 times the amount Valdez did.

[tnlefty]

9. Did you read the caption under the pic? Probably explains a lot...

"I trust BP CEO".

I think part of my brain just fried.:nuke: :nuke:

[Feron]

10. 95k number is likely wrong as well.

From what I understand, GOM wells typically produce 40k- 50k bbl per day. BP's worst case was 60k I believe. And the BOP is supposedly restricting some of the flow.

Being conservative, let's assume that 20k bbl per day are spilling out. 20k bbl is 840,000 gallons. In a 30 day period that is 25,200,000 gallons.

At this rate it would take a little over five months (167 days) to equal the Ixtoc 1 spill which is 140 million gallons. In comparison, the Ixtoc 1 well took nine months to cap.

The fact that we have to speculate on the flow rate due to gov't-BP collusion is in itself disgusting.

In regards to the story this comment on the CNN site sums it up perfectly:

"This silly man is living proof why "military intelligence" is an oxymoron."

At least Coast Guard Capt. Edwin Stanton admits that he is slow and dumb. Unfortunately that shitkicker is running the Coast Guard oil spill response.

[Junkdrawer]

12. I think 95K is probably low...and @95k, we have Ixtoc in 35 days...

The 95K number was from a computer analysis of the video, is accurate +/- 20% and didn't include the flow at the BOP.

[merh]

6. About those resources

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8396024&mesg_id=8396462

Assholes, I'm getting tired of them thinking that we are so stupid that we can't look things up and figure out if they are telling the truth of not.

[laughingliberal]

8. "These are BP's rules, not ours," does not sound as if we are in charge or 'collaborating.' nt

[Turbineguy]

11. Yes, if they spent their time in petty personal squabbles

things would go sooooo much better!