CNN article says spill "worse in US history"

CNN front page just posted this.

CNN Link


I have seen a ton of debate in the last few days about Valdez being worse etc. Just wanted to share this to further stir the debate.


Edit:

They also released the hurricane season predictions for the year. This whole oil spill issue could become even worse in a very short time

Hurricane predictions

[edit on 27-5-2010 by Kansas City]

COVINGTON, La. — The Gulf oil spill has surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the worst in U.S. history, according to new estimates released Thursday, but the Coast Guard and BP said an untested procedure to stop it seemed to be working.

A team of scientists trying to figure out how much oil has been flowing since the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 and sank two days later found the rate was at least twice and possibly up to five times as high as previously thought.

Even using the most conservative estimate, that means the leak has grown to nearly 19 million gallons, surpassing the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, which at about 11 million gallons had been the nation's worst spill. Under the highest estimate, nearly 39 million gallons may have spilled.

U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt said two different teams of scientists calculated that the well has been spewing between 504,000 and more than 1 million gallons a day.

AP Article

worst in history?
I think that the US may be adding to the collection because i think that if its gospel that they are expectiong an increase of hurricanes and tornados, then imagine the devastation when oil and the dispersants are thrown into the equation? Everything is effected. Literally.
I came across this link, different disaster but could the outcome be the same?
www.independent.co.uk...

Sorry I didn't see this before posting my own thread on this article.

And I thought it was odd that no one noticed or replied to mine. The dearth of replies to this, earlier thread, is even more perplexing to me. Everyone has been using the argument that the spill isn't the worst we've ever had to diminish the magnitude of it, and now we have scientists saying that it is not only the worst, but possibly twice as large.

I'm skeptical, so I will retain an open mind and not assume that this must absolutely be true, out of respect for those who hold the opinion that the spill is being exaggerated, but this is at least evidence that this is the worst spill in U.S. history.

Very worrying.

reply to post by AceWombat04


Neither am I on either side of that particular debate...

But how exactly does a report by CNN become proof of the size of an oil spill...?

So the sci-teams did their research and came up with a bunch of guesstimates. Apparently someone is making a huge mistake because +-500,000 error is Hilarious.

"Worse" is relative. It can surpass the Valdez in quantity, but the severity of it all depends on factors such as location, time of year, how it was dispersed, the type of oil, response, and a number of other factors. Read the history of the Valdez to get a full picture:
en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by TarzanBeta


It isn't proof. It's evidence. There's a difference. Hence my skepticism and inability to determine what the reality is as of yet. I'm hoping that this isn't the case. If it is, it's really sad in my opinion.

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


I think the word they should have been shooting for was biggest.

I think this has the ability to become the most economically devastating, and it very well could be the worst on the environment. Only time will tell, and I agree with your post based on what you are pointing out.

US history.. how about world history?

I must say I'm truly surprised to not see more people discussing this. In other threads there are dozens if not hundreds of pages debating the severity of the spill, what its impact may be, whether it's really all that bad, etc. I haven't reached a conclusion yet because I'm not an expert and because I'm skeptical (in both "directions,") but when the news (whether one believes the news or not) says "worst oil spill in U.S. history," I would at least expect more people to take notice, especially given the passion with which other threads on this subject have been discussed.