Oil Spill Now Covering More Than 1,800 Square Miles

Oil Spill Now Covering More Than 1,800 Square Miles

www.nytimes.com

NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard officials said Monday afternoon that the oil spill near Louisiana was now covering more than 1,800 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, and they have been unable to engage a mechanism that could shut off the well thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.

The response team was trying three tacks to address a spill caused by an explosion on an oil rig last week: one that could stop the leaks within hours, one that would take months, and one that would not stop the leaks but would capture the oil and deliver it to the surface while permanent measures were pursu

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It looks like there will be coastal impact here. The article says they are preparing for it. I wonder if FEMA will be playing the lead role in this and I will be watching closely to see how they deal with this. Louisiana has some bad luck as far as disasters are concerned. It said three days maybe until it hits the shore. What kind of implications does this mean for louisiana now.

www.nytimes.com
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I don't understand why. I haven't seen any article address why the oil is coming to the surface? It was there before the drilling rig accident. It wasn't under pressure, or it would have already come up. If the rig is not actively pumping oil to the surface, then why is the oil surfacing?

Is the sea water forcing itself down 1000's of feet of drill tube and displacing crude oil, which subsequently floats to the top?

Can they not direct a small explosive to the well head and collapse the tube?

Oh ya! If they saved the environment and collapsed the well, they would lose millions of drilling dollars and have to start over! Screw the wildlife and beaches, lets get a solution on how to collect up all that oil!

It was only 600 square miles on CNN this morning. What an effing joke. This is a perfect example of why we SHOULD NOT allow any more off shore oil drillling in the Gulf of Mexico or anywhere else. This may well land on the shores of LA but we as a country will feel the ramifications of this for decades to come. What a disaster. I mean all the fail safe mechanisms have completely failed in averting a disaster. What if this happens next year or next week? What if 10 of these rigs fail? The oceans are already polluted and this is really sad. I'm pissed! 1800 square miles???????? WOW!

To whomever is interested,

Cliff High was on Veritas last week and they went into discussion about this oil spill. Very interesting what Cliff had to say about it, definitely seems there is more that meets the eye on this.

To paraphrase, he said that they had drilled in excess of almost 34,000 feet, uncharted for this type of operation and that it could have a devastating effect.

reply to post by devildogUSMC

An oil slick covering 400sq miles is threatening a slow-motion catastrophe for the Gulf of Mexico’s delicate marine life, with 42,000 gallons (160,000 litres) a day now gushing from an uncapped well after a rig explosion.
Two days after declaring that there was no leak and that oil on the surface was residue from on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform that burst into a fireball on Tuesday, officials revealed that the slick was coming from the seabed and was now 25 times the size it was on Friday.
“It’s 1,000 barrels [a day] emanating from 5,000ft below the surface,” said Rear-Admiral Mary Landry, of the US Coast Guard, who is overseeing the emergency response. “Absolutely, this is a very serious oil spill.”
BP, which leased the rig, said last week that it was doing everything in its power to contain the spill and resolve the situation “as rapidly, safely and effectively as possible”, using underwater robots, 700 personnel, five aircraft, 32 vessels, and nearly 200 miles of floating booms.

www.timesonline.co.uk...

This is a catastrophy for the marine environment,and the food chain.
And still the oil pumps into the sea as I type.

And BP are just saying,oh well its ok,we are fixing it.
42 thousand gallons per day...still pumping.Right now.

A total disgrace IMO.

These companies want this disaster to continue because it will kill off the reefs, allowing them to drill in what is currently conservation zones a few years from now, after they show that there is nothing left to conserve.

It makes me think of that old McCain/Palin campaign slogan...

The main reason that the rig fire and sinking happen was due to the failure of the blowout preventers. Sub sea trees have several valves that can be closed.

The oil and the Gas are under pressure and thats why its still leaking. Until those valves are closed it will continue.

they need to put a derrick barge and pull the damaged riser off the well head tree then put another rig onsite and bring it to completion.

Faiure to do so will lead to just more damage to the enviroment. They need to finish the Cement and the Casing job.