Since no one else posted it: The not quite worst possible scenario..

[Tristam]

I always find it funny when people call this an "oil spill". This isn't a spill, it's an underwater oil volcano, the shit is coming out of the earth at pretty ridiculous pressures. Small wonder there's no quick fix.

But take heart Americans, at least BP gives half a shit about the oil spill because of our public outrage. The cumulative effects of oil "spills" off the coast of africa make this look like a drop in the bucket.

Also, this is going to happen again. This is probably a consequence of drilling in new, more difficult, and deeper locations.

[Francisco]

It's an oil spill. Who cares.

Spoiler: show

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famec...ted-turner.jpg

[Acturus]

http://monkeyfister.blogspot.com/201...own-below.html

Oh shit this is really really bad..

I know I can't really laugh at what is a horrible situation, but "monkeyfister" is just silly.

[Olo401]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/20...ink%29-UPDATED

[Demosthenes11]

not that people are saying it here, but if one more moron on FB goes TOLDU NOT USE OIL it might push me off the edge.

and honestly, I have trouble blaming anyone for this. It's one of the unfortunate risks in the business and that's why the government has such a high fine for it. It's a disaster for everyone involved but accidents are going to happen and it's not bad, statistically speaking, that we have a major disaster only every 20 years or so. Hopefully each scenario will help us prepare for the next one. BP gains nothing from this and loses hundreds of millions. There's practically nothing the government could do here either. Everyone is scrambling to fix this as fast as possible but the problem still stands - this is a fucking mess of a problem with an extremely difficult answer.

[Plow]

not that people are saying it here, but if one more moron on FB goes TOLDU NOT USE OIL it might push me off the edge.

and honestly, I have trouble blaming anyone for this. It's one of the unfortunate risks in the business and that's why the government has such a high fine for it. It's a disaster for everyone involved but accidents are going to happen and it's not bad, statistically speaking, that we have a major disaster only every 20 years or so. Hopefully each scenario will help us prepare for the next one. BP gains nothing from this and loses hundreds of millions. There's practically nothing the government could do here either. Everyone is scrambling to fix this as fast as possible but the problem still stands - this is a fucking mess of a problem with an extremely difficult answer.

this will end well

Spoiler: show

hint: it was absolutely positively 100% avoidable and the blame is directly on BP for taking illegal shortcuts and the government for not making sure they don't.

[Demosthenes11]

I admittedly have not been keeping up because the media is on this like ass on a black girl.

What precautions are there to make to ensure a pipe doesnt blow up, how is it discovered short cuts were taken, and how did the government miss it?

[Chun Liroy]

I'll leave this here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpSi9Bqufq4

Who is that black guy, I'd like to meet him.

[ronin sparthos]

I admittedly have not been keeping up because the media is on this like ass on a black girl.

What precautions are there to make to ensure a pipe doesnt blow up, how is it discovered short cuts were taken, and how did the government miss it?

Mainly the blowout preventer which caps off a well if something happens failed, the Mineral Management Service (regulatory body) weren't up to date on the routine inspections (on this rig and others) and overall there is too much hanky panky between the the Oil companies and MMS officials/inspectors.

Basically a virtual copy/paste of what happened in the financial sector.

All that coupled with the fact that drilling at the depth they are in the Gulf makes everything even more risky. Research dollars went into how to drill at that depth extensively but regarding fail safes if anything went wrong.... well as you can see, BP is just throwing plans like darts to a dartboard.

[Correction]

It's one of the unfortunate risks in the business and that's why the government has such a high fine for it.

I lol'd

[Demosthenes11]

75mil + cleanup = not high?

[Correction]

Look at your man, now look at me, now look at your man, now look at me.

BP just made 75mil in the time it took you to remember that Old Spice commercial.

It's not even close to 'risky' for oil companies to do deep water drilling, loss of manpower and equipment notwithstanding. They've lobbied for a softcock approach to regulation and penalties when things go wrong. I'd be surprised if the entire cost of the cleanup prevents BP from posting record profits this year.

Also nice slide from 'high fines' to 'high finespluscostofcleanup.'

[Chun Liroy]

Don't be using my sigatar for some stupid government punchline.

[Correction]

I don't see any sigs or avatars, captain originality.

[ronin sparthos]

Look at your man, now look at me, now look at your man, now look at me.

BP just made 75mil in the time it took you to remember that Old Spice commercial.

It's not even close to 'risky' for oil companies to do deep water drilling, loss of manpower and equipment notwithstanding. They've lobbied for a softcock approach to regulation and penalties when things go wrong. I'd be surprised if the entire cost of the cleanup prevents BP from posting record profits this year.

Also nice slide from 'high fines' to 'high finespluscostofcleanup.'

It's still riskier than surface drilling.

[Chun Liroy]

I don't see any sigs or avatars, captain originality.

Oh man you're arguing in a thread with Egon and you wanna talk about originality?

[Demosthenes11]

so what should the penalty be? 500m? 1b? 10b? shut down business?

BP is looking at losing close to $1b when this is all said and done through fines, clean up, and bad PR. I dont care how much money you make, that's a fucking ton of money to be losing.

[Correction]

I'm referring only to the risk of monetary liability when things go wrong, since Demo11 tried to say the government handles it with such a steep fine. That suggestion is laughable. I'm not trying to argue the practice of drilling for oil a mile underwater is void of all risk.

Oh man you're arguing in a thread with Egon and you wanna talk about originality?

butthurt

[ronin sparthos]

so what should the penalty be? 500m? 1b? 10b? shut down business?

BP is looking at losing close to $1b when this is all said and done through fines, clean up, and bad PR. I dont care how much money you make, that's a fucking ton of money to be losing.

Doesn't matter as the cap should be unlimited on cleanup costs because we all know an energy company can recoup that in a couple years.

The gulf? It'll recoup in a couple decades if we're lucky.

No one is saying shut down BP for one fuckup but the current cap is laughable.

[Chun Liroy]

Yes I'm very butthurt, you totally just raped me anally.