From the Archdruid Report:
"Bad as it is already, it may get much, much worse. According to a memo leaked to Gulf Coast newspapers, BP officials have privately admitted to the US government that the torrent of hot, high-pressure crude oil surging through the broken pipe could quite conceivably blow the remaining hardware off the top of the well. This would turn the current 5,000-barrel-a-day spill into a cataclysmic gusher of 40,000 to 60,000 barrels a day. Capping such a flow a mile under water is beyond current technology; if things go that way, there may be no other option than waiting until the flow drops to a more manageable level. If that means the death of every multicellular organism in the Gulf of Mexico, storm surges this hurricane season that leave everything for miles inland coated with black goo, and tar balls and dead birds floating ashore wherever the Gulf Stream goes – and yes, these are tolerably likely consequences if the wellhead blows – that’s what it means." More Goddamn scary predictions
6 comments:
I say nuke it. Turn the sea floor into glass.
Well now, that's a thought, isn't it?
Had a read through that blog and I have to admit that while this outcome is startling, I haven't found the sources to support his statements.
where is this BP memo? where are the estimates of the oil flow if the hardware breaks further? Where are the models showing the environmental outcomes.
To me, the paragraph reads a bit like fearmongering.... "If the worst were to happen, then the worst would happen" not a particularly useful contribution, in my opinion.
Allan Pollock
did some research. There are some quotes in here:
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/deepwater_horizon_secret_memo.html
"Two additional release points were found today in the tangled riser. If the riser pipe deteriorates further, the flow could become unchecked resulting in a release volume an order of magnitude higher than previously thought."
"There is no official change in the volume released but the USCG is no longer stating that the release rate is 1,000 barrels a day," continues the document, referred to as report No. 12. "Instead they are saying that they are preparing for a worst-case release and bringing all assets to bear."
Ok, that's scary....I still don't know what it means in terms of potential environmental dammage, but it would be "big".
Allan Pollock
...to clarify further....the report was from april 28. This is not a recent change of events, but an assessment from a week ago.
I do not pretend to know any more than the evening news. The Archdruid Report has a very dark view of the future (though probably true), but it is usually accurate with quotes, facts and figures.
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