In Dave lindorff's article "BP's Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell Policy: The Well’s Corked, But Public and Government are Left in the Dark", Professor Bob Bea, of UC Berkley, a civil engineer with years of experience in marine oil drilling explains how BP's unwillingness to share crucial information could lead to further damage of the Gulf of Mexico and its shores. Bea, a clearly qualified professional on the matter, explains that "information about oil reservoir formations is highly secretive among the oil companies." and how "BP would be loath to share information about what’s going on in a reservoir with competitors." He explains that multiple oil and gas leaks have been detected in the pipe have been found up to two miles away from where it was recently capped. He suspects that these leaks may be relatively small now but may grow if ignored by BP. According to Bea,
"natural gas moving upward from a depth of 13,000 feet below the sea floor would expand by “several hundred times” by the time it reaches the sea bottom--a potentially explosive situation, as was demonstrated with the Deepwater Horizon drill rig, where 11 men died in the initial gas explosion last April."
He sites a clear example of how these small gas leaks in the pipe can become a real threat if not tended to in a timely manner.
Lindorff presents his post to the general public to raise concern of BP's cowardly behavior of turning away from problems to preserve their already tarnished image. He has solid points, is undoubtedly qualified on the matter, and I think his concern should be addressed before we let BP's pipe further pollute the Gulfs waters.
No comments:
Post a Comment