There are more than 200 deepwater oil rigs working around the globe, 20% of which are in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Jul 6, 2:33 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > Brazil is also into deepwater oil drilling- big > time.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/july-dec10/brazil_07-01.... > > On Jul 5, 9:39 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I remember reading something about Brazil being the leader in ethanol > > production from sugar cane resource. Their bio-fuel economy has been > > well established and Brazilians are paying a fraction of what we pay > > for gas. The climate of course is conducive to sugar cane production > > and therefore they have a distinct advantage over us in producing > > fuel. I don't see that we would be able to compete with corn because > > it just doesn't have a comparable production capability as sugar > > cane. Besides that I don't think we have an arable land mass large > > enough to produce the needed sugar cane; basically we'd be confined to > > the southern belt states. > > > On Jul 5, 9:03 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I'm not discounting the part others including ourselves have played in > > > getting us into this well-oiled corner we find ourselves backed into. > > > There's not a one anywhere who's free of oiled guilt. > > > > Compared to oil, ethanol's problems are a trifle. There is massive > > > private & corporate research being conducted around the nation into > > > the direct production of ethanol using algae and the sun (no need for > > > distilling -- the algae actually produce ethanol in this process). > > > > The problem we ran into with ethanol was not energy's fault. It was > > > that the government and industry glommed onto the most handy grain to > > > distill into ethanol: corn -- we grow thousands of square miles of > > > it. As you recall, this drove the price of bread, meat and other > > > foods very high. If the industry demands ethanol from vegetable > > > products, sugar cane is far more productive per acre and doesn't > > > affect the rest of our food prices so much. > > > > On Jul 5, 1:43 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Manufacturers and consumers have played their role as well. Oil is > > > > still a critical product. Ethanol and other alternatives have their > > > > own sets of problems.//Consider a breakdown of the electrical grid or > > > > water purity as future shocks.//There is enough blame to go around for > > > > the degradation of the environment beyond BP. > > > > > On Jul 4, 11:33 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > The lunacy lies in big oil's complete lack of regard for the > > > > > environment and complete capitulation to record profits at any cost to > > > > > others. > > > > > > I was flabbergasted when BP first started trying to fix the Gulf > > > > > leak. Every time something failed their excuse was that they had > > > > > never done that in water this deep before. That they had begun deep > > > > > water drilling in such a confined area as the Gulf apparently without > > > > > knowing what they were doing or how to do it seems beyond absurd. It > > > > > seems pure insanity. > > > > > > However, the Gulf is far from the largest oil spill in the world. Not > > > > > counting Deepwater Horizon, the ten largest oil spills in the world > > > > > are as follows: > > > > > > 1. Kuwait - 1991 - 520 million gallons. Iraqi forces opened the > > > > > valves of several oil tankers in order to slow the invasion of > > > > > American troops. The oil slick was four inches thick and covered 4000 > > > > > square miles of ocean. > > > > > > 2. Mexico - 1980 - 100 million gallons. An accident in an oil well > > > > > caused an explosion which then caused the well to collapse. The well > > > > > remained open, spilling 30,000 gallons a day into the ocean for a full > > > > > year. > > > > > > 3. Trinidad and Tobago - 1979 - 90 million. During a tropical > > > > > storm off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, a Greek oil tanker > > > > > collided with another ship, and lost nearly its entire cargo. > > > > > > 4. Russia - 1994 - 84 million gallons. A broken pipeline in Russia > > > > > leaked for eight months before it was noticed and repaired. > > > > > > 5. Persian Gulf - 1983 - 80 million gallons. A tanker collided > > > > > with a drilling platform which, eventually, collapsed into the sea. > > > > > The well continued to spill oil into the ocean for seven months before > > > > > it was repaired. > > > > > > 6. South Africa - 1983 - 79 million gallons. A tanker cought fire > > > > > and was abandoned before sinking 25 miles off the coast of Saldanha > > > > > Bay. > > > > > > 7. France - 1978 - 69 million gallons. A tanker's rudder was > > > > > broken in a severe storm, despite several ships responding to its > > > > > distress call, the ship ran aground and broke in two. It's entire > > > > > payload was dumped into the English Channel. > > > > > > 8. Angola - 1991 - more than 51 million gallons. The tanker > > > > > expolded, exact quantity of spill unknown > > > > > > 9. Italy - 1991 - 45 million gallons. The tanker exploded and sank > > > > > off the coast of Italy and continued leaking it's oil into the ocean > > > > > for 12 years. > > > > > > 10. Odyssey Oil Spill - 1988 - 40 million gallons. 700 nautical > > > > > miles off the cost of Nova Scotia. > > > > > > Which puts the Deepwater Horizon spill between number four and five at > > > > > the present time. The total amount of oil spilled just in the ten > > > > > largest is more than a BILLION gallons of oil between 1978 and 1991 > > > > > dumped into the oceans. I'm not being an apologist for BP but just > > > > > trying to put 84 million gallons in perspective. It's a horrific > > > > > disaster, no doubt. But we will get past it and recover from it. > > > > > > I was also taken aback by the rest of big oil's attitude. Each said > > > > > they'd never have done it the way BP did it yet they are all > > > > > conducting deepwater drilling and even more dangerous drilling in > > > > > highly sensitive areas in much the same way BP conducts its drilling > > > > > operations. Full speed ahead and damn the consequences. > > > > > > It seems to me the best answer is to get our well-oiled asses out of > > > > > oil as fast as we can. Like the ethanol ads say, 100 million gallons > > > > > and no one injured, none spilled and the environment is cleaner for > > > > > it. > > > > > > /e- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text -
