The environment thread

[Balta1701]

I'll still hold out hope, but there's no way I'm going to think that delaying the integrity tests is anything but a negative omen.

[Balta1701]

I could be wrong in this and it's not based on any inside info other than personal knowledge, but I'm getting the impression, after some thought and waiting, that the reason everything seems to be on hold right now is that someone, probably in the government, is absolutely going crazy screaming that if they try to close the valves and pump up the pressure in the new cap, they're going to blow either the old well casing completely out or they're going to blow out the wall between the original pipe and the relief well.

[kapkomet]

Kap just wants all of the victims of this who lose their jobs and their health to wind up on government assistance for 5-10 years while the courts sort things out, where they belong.

 

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. That's it.

 

And blackmail works when you have cash and threaten to take every dime of it away in another manner. I shouldn't be shocked that neither of you understand the real issues here, because you know, our country sucks and should just be ObamaLand ™.

[Balta1701]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. That's it.

 

And blackmail works when you have cash and threaten to take every dime of it away in another manner. I shouldn't be shocked that neither of you understand the real issues here, because you know, our country sucks and should just be ObamaLand ™.

I'd rather say something more personal attackish in response, but I'd like to instead say that the level of condescension in these "I know everything and you don't" posts just staggers me.

[NorthSideSox72]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. That's it.

 

And blackmail works when you have cash and threaten to take every dime of it away in another manner. I shouldn't be shocked that neither of you understand the real issues here, because you know, our country sucks and should just be ObamaLand ™.

You could try explaining what you see as the "real issues here". That might actually create some good discussion.

 

[Texsox]

Because the executive branch doesn't have that kind of authority. Also, as imperfect as it is, for 220 years, the judicial system is the way that claims of this nature are handled. Whine about Exxon Valdez all you want, but that's a hell of a lot better then a dictate from one man telling blackmailing a company.

 

 

I see the point. So is the worry BP is paying too little or too much and perhaps too soon before the damages can be fully understood?

Has BP sued yet to block the government doing this? Sounds much like condemnation of land (something the government has been doing for almost 220 years). Don't like the condemnation, go to court and seek redress.

[Balta1701]

I see the point. So is the worry BP is paying too little or too much and perhaps too soon before the damages can be fully understood?

Has BP sued yet to block the government doing this? Sounds much like condemnation of land (something the government has been doing for almost 220 years). Don't like the condemnation, go to court and seek redress.

Since Kap's not around, I can reply to this one...the government already has the ability to levee something on the order of an instant $10-$20 billion bill on BP for the royalties/taxes from the oil extracted from the ground and the $4300/barrel fine for dumping it into the water. If BP went hard to court on avoiding paying out settlements to the lives of those people on the Gulf, or went to court against the Obama admin for blackmail, there's nothing stopping the government from issuing those fines right now and telling BP to start challenging them too. The government wins and BP is pretty close to belly up. On top of that, the government has every right to be vindictive and decide to stop issuing future contracts for drilling in the Gulf to BP, and since they're so heavily invested there, that's about the same result.

 

It's only "Blackmail" if you can threaten the company you're blackmailing with something worse.

[Balta1701]

There is currently no oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the top of the BOP on the Macondo well.

[Balta1701]

Ah, this is why they're going ahead with this full clampdown effort despite the risk of blowing the whole stack. Now it makes sense.

It is clear that the apparent performance problem with the Deepwater Horizon’s BOP is not an isolated incident. Performance problems have also been identified in recent weeks with the BOPs on the relief wells that BP is drilling.

[kapkomet]

Since Kap's not around, I can reply to this one...the government already has the ability to levee something on the order of an instant $10-$20 billion bill on BP for the royalties/taxes from the oil extracted from the ground and the $4300/barrel fine for dumping it into the water. If BP went hard to court on avoiding paying out settlements to the lives of those people on the Gulf, or went to court against the Obama admin for blackmail, there's nothing stopping the government from issuing those fines right now and telling BP to start challenging them too. The government wins and BP is pretty close to belly up. On top of that, the government has every right to be vindictive and decide to stop issuing future contracts for drilling in the Gulf to BP, and since they're so heavily invested there, that's about the same result.

 

It's only "Blackmail" if you can threaten the company you're blackmailing with something worse.

 

By doing that, Obama doesn't get his props and face time in the media for being the hero of making them "evil motherf***ers" pay.

 

Come on. This is all about spin and not the reality of what happened behind those doors to coerce BP into setting up that "fund" and stopping the divident payments.

 

Oh, I'm "defending" BP again, even though I'm not.

[Balta1701]

Come on. This is all about spin and not the reality of what happened behind those doors to coerce BP into setting up that "fund" and stopping the divident payments.

So, even I'm curious here...what do you think this hidden evil reality you're alluding to is?

[Balta1701]

Toyota + Tesla working together to produce an all-electric Rav4.

[Balta1701]

Wow.

 

A local news affiliate in Alabama stars sampling water and sand in places where kids are playing, regardless of whether or not there is an obvious oil sheen. They detect it everywhere.

 

They took one sample in particular. When they tried to analyze it...it exploded.

 

 

The idea that you can judge whether the water is safe by how it looks or whether seafood is safe by how it smells is just ridiculous.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Toyota + Tesla working together to produce an all-electric Rav4.

I am really debating if I want to buy Tesla stock. I think it might be a good long term investment.

[kapkomet]

I am really debating if I want to buy Tesla stock. I think it might be a good long term investment.

 

 

This is a paper tiger, at least right now. They make no real profit.

[southsider2k5]

Toyota + Tesla working together to produce an all-electric Rav4.

 

Well look at that... private companies making it work.

[kapkomet]

Well look at that... private companies making it work.

 

With some pretty large government funding.

[NorthSideSox72]

LOL @ BP

 

morons.

 

[southsider2k5]

LOL @ BP

 

morons.

 

I have no doubt it was on purpose.

[NorthSideSox72]

I have no doubt it was on purpose.

what was on purpose?

 

[Balta1701]

[southsider2k5]

what was on purpose?

 

Using a picture that wasn't real.

[NorthSideSox72]

Using a picture that wasn't real.

um... well yeah, that was my point.

 

[Balta1701]

You know all the people who have used the phrase "Apollo project/Manhattan Project" for clean energy?

 

China is working on a plan to dump $750 billion in funding into clean energy over the next decade.

[NorthSideSox72]

You know all the people who have used the phrase "Apollo project/Manhattan Project" for clean energy?

 

China is working on a plan to dump $750 billion in funding into clean energy over the next decade.

We go to war in Iraq, spend $1T, kill a few thousand soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis, and loss a ton of political power globally... and get nothing out of it.

 

China spends less, without all the death, destruction and loss of global political capital, and in 10 years will have gone a long way to energy independence.

 

Embarrassing.