Actually, golf balls, rubber handles on clubs, plastic parts on the golf cart, battery materials, tires, etc.. are all made from.... well.. nevermind. :yelwink2:
I am really frustrated and I know it shows here. It makes me sick to see the images on the net of the gulf, coast and the animals knowing that the federal government didn't do enough matter of fact they have gotten in the way and slowed progress in certain circumstances. Whether or not the federal government had the ability to do their part in this disaster or not. IF they would have done something, better response and at least tried to do something, acted from the beginning like they cared instead of business as usual many people including myself would feel differently about this situation. Again, We shouldn't be drilling in any place where we simply can't reach the sites in person or at least have a better ability to control an emergency situation. We should be drilling on land and in shallow water as long as you have the ability to control an emergency situation. I plead ignorance about this oil drilling but common sense tells me what I have stated here!
The government doesn't own any oil skimmers. The islands are a bad idea. Define "timely". It's not the guy who lives in BFE and decides to dig a hole in his backyard. When the Feds are liable, I expect them to do due diligence. Not that it matters because building the berms (at the beginning of hurricane season, to boot) isn't (or wasn't) going to do anything except wash a lot of sand out to sea. They're a feel good project that's not going to do anything except waste time, energy and displace sand that should be used for coastal restoration. Plenty of geologists have come forward stating as much, including state employees. I know this for a fact. I highly doubt they can build 45+ miles of berms in 6 months. Then there's the six month timetable. Really? We still expect there to be oil floating into the marshes six months from now? They haven't. So you expect the country to grind to a halt? Are you even remotely educated on standard business practices? You mean the toothless legislation that basically says the Feds' responsibilities are to designate someone to oversee the cleanup and designate various government agencies to assist? You either have not read it or do not comprehend it. B.S. Apparently today is the day you decided to follow politics. He only said that after people criticized him for being absent. It's a pure political ploy, intended for the partisan, naive and gullible. Congrats. Only people who post unintelligent drivel feel this way...
MLU, when two guys are arguing back and forth...I don't like to interject, but... The islands are a brilliant idea. They augment the system of barrier islands which exist in steady state naturally...until the natural system of their formation was interfered with by channelization. The berms have a high probability of success because they simply mimic what was in place naturally and are not some sort of high tech, off the wall, manipulation of the environment through engineering. The berms will impede the ingress of that oil which is submerged in the water column due to the application of dispersants. They also will have the concomitant benefit of the storm surge protection that the barrier islands provide. Yet, this obviously beneficial and urgent project has been stalled by a stonewalling Coast Guard and Corps of engineers from the very beginning because the real power that is doesn't want to pay for it... the real power in charge is BP themselves. And they push Thad Allen around at will. Here's a link to the latest attack on this project. Why do you think the impediments to completion keep popping up at each and every opportunity? Plans to shut down dredging operation for a week leave Nungesser livid | New Orleans News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | wwltv.com | Gulf Oil Spill
Its probably a good thing you did because as far as I'm concerned he is talking to himself! Simply because this administration was this oil disaster to be so bad that they can pass cap and trade and switch the economy from fossil fuels to green energy no matter the impact on the country. Its all about Obama and his agenda no matter what!
Maybe, but those golf balls Obama and Biden played with could have been stuffed into the leak. I mean, really, don't these guys care at all? :lol:
I certainly don't want to temper your enthusiasm as mine was tempered, but I felt the same way until talking with a geologist who is currently working with the state on the oil leak and then reading some. It's not only a bad idea, but it's counter-productive to coastal restoration. They're sand berms. They're not going to be here in a year or even less. Hell, big portions of the chain will be eroded before the project is completed. The really bad thing that no one is talking about is that they're months from even serving their purpose. I seriously doubt that they will appreciably diminish the amount of oil entering the delta wetlands six months from now. If we still have oil spewing from the floor of the gulf by then, 120 miles of sand berms isn't going to do ****. It's pretty much the equivalent of building 120 miles of fence on the US/Mexico border after people have started crossing. I have never thought that it was really going to help with the oil situation. I mean they build these berms with spaces between them to water can get through, but doesn't that mean oil can get through also? So you fill in those gaps and now you have ****ed up the tides and the way the water flows into the marshes. Still, I liked it because it was a step in the right direction towards coastal restoration. Hopefully we can start building barrier islands, keep asking for more for more islands and before you know it we have a half-finished barrier island project that's easy to justify for completion. Some are arguing that the berms could end up pushing the oil up the Mississippi Delta and almost all feel that any work done will be wiped out when the first mild hurricane hits them. Then what happens to the oil already in a position to be behind the berms? I just find it odd that no scientists for coastal biology or geology are coming forward and endorsing this idea. Again (like the drilling moratorium), we're looking at lawyers arguing the science against scientists/engineers and people are listening to the lawyers. I think that if BP was not footing the bill for this project, we'd see a lot more opposition from the CoE. Simple. They don't care because this doesn't affect them directly. The word is apathy. I think a better question is why does Nungesser want to continue dredging in the wrong area?
I see what you mean by the berms not being completed in time. That's why the timing of the initial project commencement was so critical. Nungesser and Jindal were screaming for more than a month about doing something because BP, the Coast Guard, and the Corps were paralyzed into analysis and procedure. Jindal, Nungesser and the rest of us had almost everything at stake and saw the importance of immediacy. Like Katrina, this disaster requires rapid response and I can't understand why our government (both parties) can't respond. Here we have the coast Guard and the Corps of Engineers- both military entities- not being able to decide and respond in short order. It's amazing because under warfare conditions, they do just exactly that. The military will not hesitate to immediately call in air strikes or send in rescue teams no matter what the chances of success are or what the consequences are. They react like a prizefighter reacts to an opponents attack. They don't spend weeks (months) thinking about repercussions, liabilities, etc. This is war. This is the same as Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attack in terms of surprise and preparedness. And like war, we have to throw everything we have, or can conceivably come up with at this...because this is a fight to the death. I don't think BP, the Corps and the Coast Guard see it is such. I don't think they understand how these wetlands that are so vital to us are about to receive a mortal blow. The success of the project should not be measured in absolute terms...such as preventing 100% of the oily water from entering the marsh, being continuous or the berms remaining above the water after a while. They are supposed to mitigate the disaster. And if they later prove to be somewhat ineffective...at least we went down swinging. I also understand what you mean by dredging in the right place. Apparently there is concern that taking the sediments from one mile out may undermine the stability of the Chandeleur islands. Those same sediments, however probably came right off the beachfront of those islands in the first place. If so, then we ought to be able to send another dredge in to backfill those areas, but preventing and stopping the project has been the federal agenda from day one. When you pointed out that people are listening to the lawyers, I have to admit that I thought that both politicians and lawyers are people that won't get out of bed in the morning until they analyze what are the consequences of getting out of bed vs staying in bed and weighing their options before taking action lol. So why is Thad Allen thinking like a lawyer or politician and Nungesser acting like a general trying to stop an imminent invasion of his country? :huh:.
