BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: gnu
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 04:42 PM

That's my point Q. It didn't just disappear or was "taken care of" as stated in a few articles I read a while back. That is the time I stopped following the media reports. I found it too disturbing... as if there was a conspiracy to distance BP from future responsibility and liablility for the oil... to bolster up stocks and give the rich more time to get out while the getting was good.

I could be all wet about it but I don't believe in magic.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 04:03 PM

As previously pointed out, marine scientists at the University of Georgia Univ, South Florida, and others are worried about the effect on microplankton and bottom of the food chain organisms of the oil in plumes at depth in the Gulf. The oil didn't just go away, much is in deep water and thus unseen.
BP and the government don't mention or assign little attention to these concerns.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: gnu
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 03:57 PM

But, Don... I thought I read a while back that "they" were baffled as the ecosystem just seemed to take care of it. I was wondering if that kinda bullshit was still being proffered. There just might be a giant oil eating clam in the deep blue, but I am sure it would take at least several to digest all that oil.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don Firth
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 03:51 PM

It doesn't seem to be making that many oil slicks on the surface anymore, but that was one helluva lot of oil that came gushing out of that hole. It's still drifting around down there doing all kinds of unpleasant stuff to the ecosystem of the Gulf.

That much oil doesn't just disappear!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: gnu
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 01:35 PM

BTW... I haven't been following the story. Am I to understand the vast majority of the spilled oil just vanished?

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: gnu
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 01:33 PM

Barry swam in the gulf. Worth a lot more than $26M advertising.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 01:06 PM

The State of Florida has thanked BP for their contributions 26 million US$ for advertising that they say has "Saved their Summer", resulting in bookings and visitor figures up 6% on last year. Now what did Obama, or any member of his administration do?

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 12:18 PM

Wall Street Journal- Aug. 26, 2010
"BP Casts Blame for Failure of Device"
"Undocumented changes to the blowout preventer that should have shut down BP PLC's runaway Gulf well slowed efforts to stop the flow of oil, a BP official [Thierens] testified Wednesday.
After spending days trying to use underwater robots to trigger the blowout preventer, ...... workers discovered that it had been modified........
"The controls that the robots were trying to use that were supposed to close the valves were actually connected to a testing device that couldn't shut off the well, he said,"
......."Even after they learned of the modifications, workers still couldn't make the blowout preventer work.
"BP has said that Transocean bears at least partial responsibility .....because of the equipment's failure, and the companies have been casting blame on each other."
"...Transocean said that the blowout preventer had passed numerous tests.......and the modifications had no impact on efforts to shut down the well afterward."

I am quoting excerpts, because reports can be withdrawn. The report in the Telegraph linked by Teribus can't be accessed now.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 11:58 AM

"Oil Industry's answers frustrate federal panel"
"The lead investigator examining the Deepwater Horizon disaster appears to be losing patience with vague or nonresponsive responses from oficials including a BP vice president.
"Since the hearings began in May, three BP officials with intimate knowledge of events leading up to the April 20 explosion ....have declined to trestify before a joint Coast Guard and Interior Department panel, which convened again Wednesday. .....Two invoked their constitutional right not to produce testimony that could incriminate themselves."...........
Coast Guard lead inestigator expressed particular agitation at answers given by BP vice president for drilling Harry Thierens, ......" Thierens could not recall any details about past accidents at Thunderhorse (Gulf area).
"Investigators were also dissatisfied about the confusing chain of command aboard the rig.
"Thierens said he lacked a "thorough understanding" of the command structure, a response that left Nguyen unhappy.
"Someone has got to be in charge," Nguyen said about the three-legged stool command aboard the rig.
Thierens testified that he was not notified of changes made in the blowout preventer.... "the changes hampered efforts to take control of the well, he said."

In other testimony, a Transocean supervisor denied testimony by rig electronics technician Mike Williams.
Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2010.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 11:45 AM

"our guys"?

Ah, so you ARE seeing this as Britain vs US. Pitiful.

Ehmm No actually Alice dear, by stating "our guys" I was referring to the crew onboard the BOA Sub C who arrived on the scene of the explosion at 02:00hrs on the morning of the 21st April, who after the initial search for survivors was called off were tasked with trying to operate the "Kill Rams" of the BOP using the Work Class ROV's onboard.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Alice
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 11:15 AM

"our guys"?

Ah, so you ARE seeing this as Britain vs US. Pitiful.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 11:05 AM

Now here is something interesting:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7964890/Oil-spill-safety-valve-was-wrongly-plumbed-on-rig-says-

Harry Thierens, BP's vice president for drilling and completions, told a US political hearing that the blowout preventer was connected to a test pipe, rather than the correct one.

"It would mean that the pipe rams could not be closed," Mr Thierens said in evidence to a federal panel on Wednesday. "I was frankly astonished that this could have happened."

On Tuesday, one of the survivors of BP's Deepwater Horizon explosion admitted to the hearing that his bonus was in part based on how quickly repairs were carried out.

That now explains how our guys could not shut the bloody thing off on the 22nd April.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 24 Aug 10 - 10:48 AM

A Company Press Release

Eyewitness Macondo
This spring and summer, the world's eyes have been focused on the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and subsequent oil spill from the Macondo well took place. Under BP's direction, several teams from Aker Solutions have been playing important parts during this period.

Here you can read eyewitness accounts of how Aker Solutions employees have supported BP throughout these challenging days.

http://www.akersolutions.com/Internet/MediaCentre/Featurestories/OilandGas/EyewitnessMacondo.htm

A joint industry response
Personnel onshore and offshore felt that the working relationship with BP and other contractors involved during these challenging months was a productive one.

In the media BP has been criticised for not doing enough, or not doing things quickly enough. "Having worked closely with BP over these months, our impression was quite the opposite. We were impressed that we always got everything we asked for, usually faster than expected," says Holthe. "All resources were made available at any given time".

BP was overall responsible for the operations, and in turn answered to the US Coast Guard. Many contractors and suppliers were involved both at the spill site and onshore. The feedback from Aker Solutions personnel is that BP was receptive towards advice and all suggestions were listened to, discussed properly and decisions were well founded and communicated. "That is how we in the field experienced it," adds Holthe.

"It really was a team effort, where the entire Gulf coast oil and gas community pulled together," adds Erik Wiik. "I am pleased that our company could contribute to managing this emergency. Our specialist knowledge of subsea equipment and our experience in performing operations on the seabed in deep waters are at the very core of our business".

Although Erik Wiik describes the last few months as "interesting and an incredible learning experience", he is not keen on repeating it.

"The oil industry has learned a lot from this incident. We will learn even more from it in the aftermath, utilise this knowledge, improve and ensure such an incident like this never happens again," concludes Wiik.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Greg F.
Date: 16 Aug 10 - 09:05 AM

Alabama whole? is the "w" a typo?

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: chazkratz
Date: 15 Aug 10 - 07:32 PM

Q! You win! You kept trying and got the devil's number. Good on yer.

Charles

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Aug 10 - 02:28 PM

Numerous other suits have been filed, some on the part of fisheries and shrimpers. Cost of public services is subject of another. Loss of government revenue, loss of business revenue, loss of earning capacity, damage to real and personal property, loss of natural resources, environmental damage, are all subject to legal actions and determination by the courts.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: mousethief
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 11:40 PM

The state attorney general is suing them "for the amount it will take to make Alabama whole." The state seeks to recover lost tax revenues

That action will fail

Say it again, Teribus. Nobody read it the first 2 times.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 09:01 PM

The state attorney general is suing them "for the amount it will take to make Alabama whole." The state seeks to recover lost tax revenues

That action will fail

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 08:09 PM

Yes, business will be good for the legal clans for years to come.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Les from Hull
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 01:43 PM

The only winners here will be lawyers, right?

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 01:37 PM

Knowing juries in that area, they will convict and name a large amount, but it will be appealed through the courts for a few years before closure is reached for a fraction of the amount originally named in the suit.
The action is partly political, not supported by the governor (an oil company supporter) and his wing of the party, and may get lost when the next batch of politicians is voted in.

Its importance is in focus(s)ing the anger of Alabamans and its influence on future regulations controlling offshore Alabama industries.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 14 Aug 10 - 02:55 AM

The state attorney general is suing them "for the amount it will take to make Alabama whole." The state seeks to recover lost tax revenues

Such an action will fail.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 04:17 PM

The State of Alabama has filed suit against BP, Transocean, Cameron and Haliburton for the catastrophic oil spill. Anadarko and others also named.
The state attorney general is suing them "for the amount it will take to make Alabama whole." The state seeks to recover lost tax revenues (a considerable amount for Alabama and Louisiana).
The decision stems from fear that victims will not be adequately compensated.
The timing was questioned by the governor, as well as the possible cost of outside counsel.
Toronto Globe and Mail, Irish Times, Reuters.

Adm. Allen says it is a time to "wait and see" if more work is needed to completely close the well.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don Firth
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 03:25 PM

No joke, Arthur_itis. You're taking a cheap shot by trying to drag something extraneous into the discussion. If I wanted to dig back into Britain's recent history, I could come up with a number of similar items. But the whole discussion would degenerate into a pointless slagging match.

It's not far from that now, as a matter of fact.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 02:58 PM

You must be joking.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 02:17 PM

Sheesh, Arthur- bad as it is in Iraq and Afghanistan, that cannot fairly be equated with the Gulf of Mexico situation.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 01:27 PM

Q without wanting to get into a slagging match, I would like to comment on this

Quote
As of August 9, Bp had paid out only $319 million of the $20 billion supposedly available. Payments to the administration fund are quarterly, and could be stopped at any time.

Look for BP to hold back on payments and encourage court actions on the part of claimants, dragging out the process and trying to limit actual compensation.

Americans may be relieved that the oil flow has stopped, but don't expect applause.
Unquote

Do all Americans ever question what they did in Iraq and what it has done to many many innocent civilians in that country. Are they being compensated for loss of life/houses/business etc etc?

Peace

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 01:11 PM

As of August 9, Bp had paid out only $319 million of the $20 billion supposedly available. Payments to the administration fund are quarterly, and could be stopped at any time.

Look for BP to hold back on payments and encourage court actions on the part of claimants, dragging out the process and trying to limit actual compensation.

Americans may be relieved that the oil flow has stopped, but don't expect applause.
Lost fishing, loss of tourism, spending except for necessities limited, and everyone holding their breath about damage to the lower food chain and the future of the ecosystem.
It may be years before trust in the safety of Gulf seafood and Gulf waters is rebuilt.

Surface oil is being cleaned up, but the majority of the flow is still in deeper waters, along with toxic dispersants.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 10:13 AM

""The TV news showed a couple of them being arrested and hauled off to the hoosegow.
Their fraud is despicable; sorting out false from legitimate claims delays compensation to those who deserve it.""

That news item also confirmed (at least the BBC ran it) that I was right when I said that BP had been paying compensation on claims from the start.

According to the news item, they've been forced by the fraudsters to stop doing so, and investigate every claim before paying.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: mousethief
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 12:20 AM

Bet this comes as no surprise to anybody:

"Fake Fishermen" Compensation Claims

Linkee no workee. Unless you wanted to direct us to the Torygraph 404 page.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 12 Aug 10 - 01:24 PM

Well done BP, after a long struggle you succeded in blocking it. I don't suppose anybody in America will agree, but there you go.

Maybe the yanks will calm down a bit now and maybe Obama will ofer an apology for being such a twat.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Aug 10 - 12:54 PM

The TV news showed a couple of them being arrested and hauled off to the hoosegow.
Their fraud is despicable; sorting out false from legitimate claims delays compensation to those who deserve it.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 12 Aug 10 - 10:33 AM

Bet this comes as no surprise to anybody:

"Fake Fishermen" Compensation Claims

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 08:24 PM

A head did roll, but it's wait and see if improvements occur. Regional heads (i. e. Alaska, John Goll) still in place.
New rules, etc. yet to be finalized.
Accidents in the Alaskan portion of the Beaufort Sea could cause spillover to the Canadian portion.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: mousethief
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 04:23 PM

MMS is responsible for overseeing the drilling activity, but has been lax in enforcing rules on drilling, etc.

True and heads should definitely roll. The anti-oversight atmosphere created by the Republican Party in this country over the last 30 years has a lot to answer for.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 04:20 PM

In the above, should be- BP is far from alone.....

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 03:06 PM

A group of companies drill in the deep water Gulf of Mexico, all using more of less the same rigs and equipment (Transocean, etc.).
Shell is far from alone with deepwater finds in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Exxon-Mobil Hoover-Diana field. May 2000, was a discovery; in 2001 Union Oil drilled in 9700 feet of water, and Marathon to 7700 feet. Shell drilled in 5300 feet of water in 1997.
Chevron and BP both drilled to total depths 30,000 feet and more.
In 2004, 16 wells were drilled in water depths of 7500 feet or more.

The art is in selection of lease blocks. This depends upon interpretation of deep seismic data (a group of university trained engineers and geologists, backed by a cadre of computer wizards, market analysts (will a discovery yield a good return on investment?), etc., and the amount of money the company wishes to bid for the rights.
A new prospect is a gamble, because the presence of a likely structure on seismic sections is not enough to guarantee production success; incomplete porosity and poor relationships to source material may limit the amount of hydrocarbons pooled in the structure.
MMS is responsible for overseeing the drilling activity, but has been lax in enforcing rules on drilling, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: mousethief
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 02:25 PM

Saint Obama won't as he and his administration have got egg all over their faces on this so they will wish to avoid additional embarassment.

What egg is that? Only to the far right.

BP still remains the industry leader when it comes to deep drilling and no other oil company in the world is better at finding the stuff than BP.

Sadly BP is also the undisputed world leader in egregious safety violations.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 12:48 AM

From: Q - PM
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 06:50 PM

&

From: Q - PM
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 05:55 PM

The cement job obviously failed on 20th April. Using exactly the same equipment the "Top Kill" cement job of the previous days has succeeded making the points raised by Q irrelevant:

How many centralisers are in place now? Same as before.

Has a liner been used? No same as before there is no way of running a liner into the hole

It is damn sure Halliburton and transocean will not get away BP will pursue them or their insurers. Saint Obama won't as he and his administration have got egg all over their faces on this so they will wish to avoid additional embarassment. But Pension funds and investors who lost heavily because of the rhetoric and grandstanding of the President and his administration may yet have their day. Biggest loser however will be the IRS as all costs will effectively be written off and will reduce BP's tax bill to zero in the US.

BP still remains the industry leader when it comes to deep drilling and no other oil company in the world is better at finding the stuff than BP.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 11:00 PM

Fret not, Don T. Transocean and Haliburton are a long way from being off the hook.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 10:40 PM

Some members of the Transocean crew invoked the Fifth Amendment, probably on order from management because of the liability ramifications.
BP, Transocean and Haliburton have been ordered by the Justice Department to preserve their records. Attorney General Holder announced both a criminal and civil investigation.

Investigators will look for violations of the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Species Treaty Act and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, among others. Responsibility for the killing of 11 workers and injury to 17 others will be determined.

This will be a complex and extended series of actions.

Oil and Gas International Report, June 2, 2010.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 09:57 PM

""And when I agreed with Teribus that "there is plenty of blame to go around," I was not, as he seems to be trying to do, excluding BP.""

Nobody is trying to exclude BP from responsibility. I for one am simply asking why all American Companies involved seem to have been handed a "get out of jail free card", while the foreign company takes a constant bloody shellacking, both from the president, and from the American people.

Transocean and Halliburton have vanished beyond the horizon, leaving your President threatening the direst penalties for BP, and, please note, since the day of the disaster he has emphasised the "BRITISH" PETROLEUM in every comment he has made on the spill.

Maybe he HAS mentioned Transocean and Halliburton, but if so those mentions have been largely ignored by your press, which is naturally baying for BP blood because that is what will sell copy.

There is a total imbalance in this whole reaction, and you don't seem able to see it.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 07:46 PM

Teribus would make excuses for the Mephistopheles if he were British. Blind patriotism warps one's thinking processes.

And lest Teribus resort to playing the schoolyard game of "Same to you, smarty-pants!" I have already gone on record as saying that I'm not all that patriotic. I know the deficiencies of the American political system pretty well, and am fully aware of and thoroughly deplore the predatory business practices of American corporations.

Or any corporations, for that matter.

And when I agreed with Teribus that "there is plenty of blame to go around," I was not, as he seems to be trying to do, excluding BP.

Grow up, Teribus.

####

By the way, about that link to Dilletante Chocolate that I posted above. Be warned that if you spend too much time drooling at the picture, you could gain as much as fifteen pounds!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 06:50 PM

BP took shortcuts which may have compromised the integrity of the well.
"1. A cement bond log was not run......to evaluate the effectiveness of the cement job. Slumberger was on site to run the cement bond log but BP decided not to run one, presumably to save the 12 hours it would take to run it. Pressure tests were run instead, but were inconclusive.
2. A lockdown sleeve was not used in the wellhead seal assembly for the production casing. This could cause the seal to unseat if there is upward movement of the casing, allowing fluid to enter the riser.
3. Only 261 bbl of mud was circulated prior to the cement job, which is far short of the usual 1.5 times the hole volume that is recommended by API........This also saved 12 hours of time.
4. BP has been criticized for running production casing instead of a liner. The liner would have been sealed inside the next higher liner which would have given an additional seal to prevent migration of formation fluids. ...............
5. There was testimony that BP only used 6 centralizers instead of the recommended 21 on the production casing. ......Centralizers keep the casing in the middle of the hole to improve the cement bond."

The writer of the article, however, thinks the "key cause of the blowout is simple human error on the part of the BP head drilling engineer, who did not notice that the well was kicking. The well was likely kicking all afternoon and evening, and no one noticed until gas was coming out of the riser. It is inexcusable to allow this to go unnoticed for such a long time."

(Continuation of article referenced in previous post.)

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 05:55 PM

History of the Macondo well is clouded because of the restriction of data by all concerned. It will be filled in as civil and criminal cases proceed

The latter events are fairly well publicized through testimony of those on the rig.
Cement job: "A meeting was held at 1:00pm on April 20, between the BP head drilling engineer and the lead transocean engineer. It is not known what they were arguing about, but it is likely they were arguing over the results of the pressure tests. Apparently the Transocean engineers thought the results showed that formation fluids were entering the wellbore due to a failed cemebt job, but they were overruled by the head BP drilling engineer who made the decision to continue. (One of the Transocean people was heard saying "well at least we have the BOP's", after leaving the meeting.)
At 7:50pm a pressure test was performed after which BP incorrectly concluded that formation fluids were not entering the wellbore. However, right after that, personnel on the rig floor reportee that the fluid rate exiting the well was greater than the fluid rate entering the well. At 9:00pm, gas began coming out of the riser. Despite this, the pumping of seawater did not stop until 9:31pm. The gas ignited at 9:49 and the entire rig was engulfed in flames.
The blind shear rams on the blowout preventers were not closed until after this." ..........

http://www.scribd.com/doc/33936462/Macondo-History-Before-the-Blowout

At all stages of the drilling operation, BP personnel were in charge of procedures, regardless of who were performing them. As operator of the well, this was their duty and responsibility.
As noted above, it will be some months before the story is filled in; perhaps longer than that as legal wrangling over release of documents, invoking of Fifth Amendment by participants, and court procedures dictate.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 05:17 PM

I have spent many days in Hershey. The air is sweet with chocolate. Enormous silos of chocolate beans stand vigil over the town and amusment park. Compared to Dove chocolate however, Hershey is virtually wasting good beans.

Don there are new internal combustion machines that are greener and more efficient than all electric cars but they are years awayfrom production. The person in a Smart car can look smug if they want but I only see a potentially squished victim in a coke can.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Teribus
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 03:22 PM

Gets even better and better Don.

Reported in the UK press today is the fact that pressure tests on the cement plugs introduced through the temporary cap and BOP have shown that the Macondo Well has been sealed off by what they call a "Top Kill" operation.

I certainly hope that the White House and this absolute "army" of US litigation specialists take note and fully understand the implications of this fact. I will detail them

1) The pressure cap that was used to finally seal-off the oil and gas leak was fitted over the Transocean Deepwater Horizon's BOP (The one whose "Kill Rams" failed on 20th April, 2010 and caused the blow-out, fire and explosion on the rig)

2) The BOP is connected to the Well Conductor that was originally put in place by Transocean Mariana's in Autumn of 2009

3) The Well Conductor is supported by the Guide-Base and is the one also put in place at the start of the Macondo Well drilling operation by Transocean Mariana's

4) Inside the Well the casing is the casing originally specified and approved for the job

5) The blow-out occurred on 20th April, 2010 when operations to abandon the well to hand it over for production were in their final stages, which means that drilling had long since stopped and that cementing the three plugs to temporarily seal the well were in full swing or nearing completion.

What can be drawn from the above:

If they are introducing cement through the same BOP, if they are pumping that cement down through the same Conductor, Guide-Base and Casing, AND IT HAS NOW BEEN SUCCESSFUL, why was it not successful the first time round.

BP did not run or operate Deepwater Horizon - Transocean Drilling did

BP did not shut-off and by-pass rig safety systems and alarms - Transocean Drilling employees on the rig did.

BP were not responsible for the operation and maintenance of the BOP - Transocean Drilling employees onboard the Deepwater Horizon were.

BP were not responsible for the cementing operation ongoing on 20th April, 2010 - A specialist crew from American oil service company Halliburton were.

Two things failed - First the cement job done by American specialist sub-contractors (Halliburton) - Second the "Kill-Rams" on the BOP owned, operated and supposedly maintained by American Drilling Company (Transocean)

What of course will be found is that anyone pursuing either of those Contractors is that in recent years they have shifted their corporate HQ's to "optimise" their tax status (Halliburton you will find in Dubai and Transocean you will find in Geneva). Let's see Obama "keeping his boot on their necks" shall we?? But let me say I for one will not be holding my breath waiting for it, as they, like the supposed US Regulatory Bodies will walk away from this "Scot Free" and Barak Obama will be only too pleased to allow it to happen.

As to the "environmental" disaster:

The Gulf of Mexico is a large water body, it contains 660 quadrillion gallons of water. Using the worst case estimate for the spill, say 252 million gallons of oil.

So actually in real terms you are eventually looking at a oil/water concentration of 1part per 2.6 billion. This is what Hayward meant by "modest impact". This was estimated at the time of the disaster yet Barack Obama still managed to extort 20bn from BP and its shareholders.

Now, since then we know approx one third of the oil has evaporated because the Gulf is a warm water body and approximately one third has been skimmed or recovered.

US scientists now have estimated that the spill is around 5 million gallons.

What is interesting is that a large number of investment houses were advised by private sector scientists and ecologists that the spill would have practically no impact on the Gulf and to hold and buy BP shares at 300p.

The misinformation came from the fawning green media, blood thirsty US politicians seeking support for mid term elections by beating up big oil and vacuous celebrities. Of course the top government scientists are now "surprised" that the oil has dissappeared.

When the army of litigation specialists line up and start talking about Class Actions, there could a beaut headed in the direction of the US Government and large media organisations for their handling and reporting of this incident.

Don't hear so much from all these "expert" eye-witnesses now. My guess is that they, quite rightly have been told the STFU as they were only digging themselves and the companies they worked for into holes more efficiently than Prairie Dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 12:35 PM

There is a Dilettante Chocolate shop and café just a few blocks from where I live. I have to go past the place very swiftly and resolutely or I run the danger of going through the shop like Pac-Man gone mad!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: mousethief
Date: 09 Aug 10 - 03:30 AM

Hershey's makes damn good chocolate.

Oh you poor soul.

Subject: RE: BS: US bigots attack British Company (oil spill)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Aug 10 - 07:58 PM

Hershey's makes damn good chocolate. Feeling sorry for the unfortunate English, they have consented to take over Cadbury's, the BP of chocolate, and make it into a product worth eating.