Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Oil Spill

I am so horrified at what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico that I try my best not to think about it. Offshore drilling is risky, dangerous work; I know this because DH was a petroleum geologist working for first Pennzoil and then Conoco. He has spent many weeks on offshore rigs. Drilling at the depths that are being done now is unknown territory; experience is very limited. However, from what we've read and from DH's experience, it is for certain that BP ignored glaring warning signs because to stop the drilling would have cost millions of dollars. Well, as it turns out, BP's best option would have been to stop everything before it got to the critical state. BP is to blame, our government's regulatory and inspection agency is to blame, and all of us oil-addicted drivers and disposable everything consumers are to blame. However, it is the living creatures of the ocean and marshes who are going to pay the price and I can hardly bear to think about it.

No comments: