• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

MILES OF OIL CONTAINMENT BOOM in Warehouse

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
MILES OF OIL CONTAINMENT BOOM in Warehouse- Just Sitting- Waiting For BP or US to Collect (Video!)

There are miles of floating oil containment boom in warehouse right now and the manufacturer Packgen says it can make lots more on short notice.


There’s just one problem… No one will come get it.


John Lapoint of Packgen in Auburn, Maine, says he’s got plenty of floating oil containment boom and can make lots more on short notice. There’s just one problem: no one will buy it from him.


He’s already had a representative from BP visit his factory and inspect his product. The governor of Maine, John Baldacci, visited the facility and made a video plea to no one in particular to close the deal. Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins wrote a letter on May 21 to the secretary of the Interior, the administrator of NOAA, and the commandant of the Coast Guard to alert them to the existence of Packgen, their supply of boom, and their demonstrated capacity to make more.


Video: Governor Baldacci Visits Packgen

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/06/breaking-miles-of-oil-containment-boom-in-warehouse-just-sitting-waiting-for-bp-or-us-to-collect-video/


Clean Water Act - Section 311

(A) If a discharge, or a substantial threat of a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance from a vessel, offshore facility, or onshore facility is of such a size or character as to be a substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States (including but not limited to fish, shellfish, wildlife, other natural resources, and the public and private beaches and shorelines of the United States), the President shall direct all Federal, State, and private actions to remove the discharge or to mitigate or prevent the threat of the discharge.

(B) In carrying out this paragraph, the President may, without regard to any other provision of law governing contracting procedures or employment of personnel by the Federal Government–
(i) remove or arrange for the removal of the discharge, or mitigate or prevent the substantial threat of the discharge; and
(ii) remove and, if necessary, destroy a vessel discharging, or threatening to discharge, by whatever means are available.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Rig survivors: BP ordered shortcut on day of blast

By Scott Bronstein and Wayne Drash, CNN
June 8, 2010 8:03 p.m. EDT


(CNN) -- The morning the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, a BP executive and a Transocean official argued over how to proceed with the drilling, rig survivors told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an exclusive interview.

The survivors' account paints perhaps the most detailed picture yet of what happened on the deepwater rig -- and the possible causes of the April 20 explosion.

The BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN.

BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' "

"That's what the big argument was about," added Daniel Barron III.

Shortly after the exchange, chief driller Dewey Revette expressed concern and opposition too, the workers said, and on the drilling floor, they chatted among themselves.

"I don't ever remember doing this," they said, according to Barron.

"I think that's why Dewey was so reluctant to try to do it," Barron said, "because he didn't feel it was the right way to have things done."

Revette was among the 11 workers killed when the rig exploded that night.

In the CNN interviews, the workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They said BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety.

The rig survivors also said it was always understood that you could get fired if you raised safety concerns that might delay drilling. Some co-workers had been fired for speaking out, they said.

It can cost up to $1 million a day to operate a deepwater rig, according to industry experts.

Safety was "almost used as a crutch by the company," Barron said. He said he was once scolded for standing on a bucket on the rig, yet the next day, Transocean ordered a crane to continue operating amid high winds, against its own policies. "It's like they used it against us -- the safety policies -- you know, to their advantage.

"I don't think there was ever a plan set in place, because no one ever thought this was gonna ever happen," he added.

BP spokesman Robert Wine would not comment on specific allegations, saying the company has to "wait for the investigations to be completed. We can't prejudge them."

"BP's priority is always safety," he said.

Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, said its top priority is safety.

"There is no scenario or circumstance under which it will be compromised," the company said in a written statement. "So critical is safety at Transocean that every crew member has stop-work authority, a real-time method by which all work is halted should any employee suspect an unsafe situation or operation."

In Washington on Tuesday, Rep. Nick Rahall, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, sought more answers. In a letter to Transocean, he said records from the rig indicate "zero engineers, electricians, mechanics or subsea supervisors" on duty the night of the explosion. He added that payroll records show seven of the 11 men who died had worked a 24-hour shift six days before the explosion.

The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the massive oil spill that has spewed as much as 798,000 gallons (19,000 barrels) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day.

The rig workers have filed a negligence suit against BP, Transocean, oil field services contractor Halliburton and other companies involved with the deepwater rig.

"I've seen gross negligence, and this conduct is criminal," said Steve Gordon, the lawyer representing the men. "There's a crime scene sitting 5,000 feet below the water."

Brown, the rig's mechanic, had traveled with the rig from South Korea, where it was made nearly a decade ago. He had seen the mechanical crew get downsized over the years. Yet as the rig aged, the engines began having more problems.

"It became overwhelming," he said. "We couldn't keep up with the flow of it. ... We constantly over the years kept telling them, 'Hey, we need more help back here.'

"They pretty much just said, 'Well, we'll look into it.' "

About nine months ago, Brown said, he got an additional first engineer, yet the crew was still overloaded with work.

Even more alarming, the rig survivors said, was the amount of resistance the well was giving them. "We had problems with it from the day we got on," Matthew Jacobs said.

There was always like an ominous feeling. This well did not want to be drilled.

Nearly every day, Jacobs said, "we had problems with that well."

Barron said it was like an eerie cloud hung over the well being dug 5,000 feet into the sea.

"There was always like an ominous feeling," he said. "This well did not want to be drilled. ... It just seemed like we were messing with Mother Nature."

At times, the drill got stuck. Many times, it "kicked," meaning gas was shooting back through the mud at an alarming rate.

"I've seen a lot of gas coming up from muds on different wells, and the highest I've ever seen in my 11 years was 1,500 units. And this well gave us 3,000," Brown said. "I've never been on a well with that high of gas coming out of the mud. That was kind of letting me know this well was something to be reckoned with."

It all came to a head at 9:56 p.m., when the first of three explosions rocked Deepwater Horizon, 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, with 126 people aboard. Tiles fell from the ceiling, walls collapsed, and people ran for their lives. It reminded Matt Jacobs of the movie "Titanic."

"It looked like you was looking at the face of death," he said. "You could hear it, see it, smell it."

He scrambled to the lifeboat deck. Jacobs had been trained to fight fires aboard the rig. But when he looked at the flames shooting 150 feet into the air, he knew there was nothing they could do. "There is no way we can put that fire out," he thought.

Jacobs hopped in a lifeboat. He screamed for co-workers to jump aboard. A second explosion rocked the rig. The lifeboat, still suspended in the air, went into a free fall of about 3 feet.

"Here I am on a lifeboat that's supposed to help me get off this rig," Jacobs thought. "And I'm gonna wind up dying."

He bowed his head and prayed.

Now, 50 days later, the survivors are telling their stories. It's become part of their everyday lives. They can't shake what happened that day, even when they close their eyes at night.

"It's like being in a neverending nightmare," Brown said. "You dream about it. You see it in your sleep. Then, we wake up in the morning, and we realize it's not a dream. It's real. ... It doesn't end for us."
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Thanks for the article OT. Sure makes you wonder why the inspections weren't carried out, by the MMS.

Can't reverse the situation on that particular blowout, but hopefully the Government will learn that inspections and environmental assesetments are in place for a reason.

Unfortunately their incompetence is also being illustrated in the clean-up efforts. Booms were being requested as early as May 14th.

Even the Coast Guard was saying there was a need for more, and they chose not to acquire enough from at least 2 companies that had them warehoused. Jindal was also requesting more boom, in an attempt to contain the oil before it hit shore. He's probably still waiting for a response.

obama said in an interview the other day that he hasn't even spoken with the BP CEO, to find out what is going on. Something about "I'd just get the run around, so why make an effort."

Unbelievable.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Yep-- Unbelievable- coming from a person that has promoted that all government is inept- and should keep their nose out of industry- now wants government to solve all industries problems- and puts all the blame on government for government not putting more regulation/enforcement on industry... :roll: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Yep-- Unbelievable- coming from a person that has promoted that all government is inept- and should keep their nose out of industry- now wants government to solve all industries problems- and puts all the blame on government for government not putting more regulation/enforcement on industry... :roll: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Seems you have misunderstood. What I have said in the past is that, the larger Government gets, the less effectiveness and efficiency they have in carrying out those responsiblities that should be theirs.

Liberals believe that every facet of our lives should be controlled or watched over. Which will no doubt lead to unintended consequences.


They can make all the laws they want and regulate business all they want, but if they are not willing to enforce those regulations, it is worthless.

That is what seems to have occured in this case. Big Gobvernment wanted to regulate the industry, and conduct the inspections of those regulations.

A smaller private inspection service, following the inspection guidelines and regulations, may have prevented this disaster.

As far as the clean-up goes, the Government has also assumed those responsibilities, so get to it. If you want to pass the buck, then contract the responsibility out to a private company. I have no doubt you'll see a better job being done, but if you don't at least then you have the option to get someone else.


I don’t think the administration has the slightest clue. We’re bringing in experts now, in and outside of government, to see whether or not BP will do more. We should have had the answers to that long before we even drilled. Now we’re trying to find the answer after the problem. The potential danger was always there.”
Charlie Rangel


This administration was asked by the Coast Guard and Jindal for additional boom to contain the oil, before it hit shore. I guess there answer was "NO", cause the boom still sits in a warehouse.

They were too interested in politicizing this disaster than to help clean it up. If they were hoping for political gain out of this by demonizing the "big bad corporation", they miscalculated and badly.

They share equally in the blame with BP.

If obama was being effective in his strategy of "putting his boot on the necks of BP", why hasn't he talked to the BP CEO? Couldn't he have bought the boom and charged BP?
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Yep-- Unbelievable- coming from a person that has promoted that all government is inept- and should keep their nose out of industry- now wants government to solve all industries problems- and puts all the blame on government for government not putting more regulation/enforcement on industry... :roll: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

OT, here's an article I came across this morning. Unbeknownst to me, there is a term in economics that describes one aspect of what I was trying to explain. You'll be able to use it when discussing the USDA and packers.

JUNE 9, 2010.Feel the Rage
Liberals discover the right's critique of regulation

We don't expect miracles from Presidents, even from those who pretend they can perform them, so we haven't been among those blaming Barack Obama for running a government that can't plug a well a mile under the sea. We've left that outrage to his one-time cheering section on the left, which has been begging Mr. Obama, imploring him, berating him, to locate and unleash his inner demagogue in reaction to the Gulf disaster.

What a spectacle this has been, with the anchors from MSNBC, the various columnists and his Newsweek Boswells furious and frustrated that the President hasn't demanded the heads of BP executives on pikes. All he's done so far is allow his Attorney General to loudly announce a criminal investigation of the spill—nothing demagogic about that—in mid-crisis and without any apparent criminal behavior on the public record.


The liberals' fury at the President is almost as astounding as their outrage over the discovery that oil companies and their regulators might have grown too cozy. In economic literature, this behavior is known as "regulatory capture," and the current political irony is that this is a long-time conservative critique of the regulatory state.

The Nobel economist George Stigler of the University of Chicago was one of the concept's main developers, and it is a seminal plank of the "public choice" school of economics for which James Buchanan won the economics Nobel in 1986. Ronald Reagan warned about this in different words in one of his farewell speeches.

In the better economic textbooks, regulatory capture is described as a "government failure," as opposed to a market failure. It refers to the fact that individuals or companies with the highest interest or stake in a policy outcome will be able to focus their energies on politicians and bureaucracies to get the outcome they prefer.

Perhaps if liberals read more conservative economists, they might understand that this is a common consequence of the regulatory state that they have so diligently constructed over the decades. It is also a main reason that many of us are skeptical of the regulatory solutions routinely offered in response to every accident or business failure.

We should add that so far, based on the available evidence, we don't know if this spill really was a regulatory failure. But no matter, the same liberals who made oil drilling one of the most regulated activities on Earth are now busy deploring the energy bureaucracy and rearranging it so that (they promise) this will never happen again. Sound at all like the financial panic and the new re-regulatory remedy?

How remarkable it is to see a President who has put such exorbitant faith in the power of government being excoriated by his allies for a government failure. It's almost as astonishing as seeing Carol Browner, the White House green czar and long-time scourge of fossil fuels, being interrogated on NBC for excessive deference to Big Oil. Sometimes life really is fair.

As for the President, he seems to be taking the liberal advice to rage against the ocean and BP. Yesterday, in addition to his "kick-ass" vulgarity, he told NBC's Today show that while he hadn't talked to Tony Hayward during the crisis, he would have fired Mr. Hayward by now if the BP CEO worked for him. The President also hinted that BP should reduce its dividend. BP shares fell 5.7% Tuesday.

No doubt this will plug the leak.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703302604575295051484827946.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
 

Steve

Well-known member
OldTimer said:
and puts all the blame on government for government not putting more regulation/enforcement on industry..

I think you have got it a little twisted up and distorted?

Large government is "ineffective, / inept...

fair just enforcement never seems to happen.. either the government employees are lax, asleep, at the helm, or heavy handed...

at the local level the people can put enough pressure to secure a better outcome, when given a set of well researched sound regulations, set against "reality"

there is enough blame to go around on this one.. and not enough solutions to solve it today..

but I am sure the volunteers and local governments are doing more then DC in actually cleaning up the mess BP and the FED created...
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
this is my first post in PB. I wil tell ya'll that ya'll know nothing of what is going on down here. i had family on that rig and have been working in the cleanup process of this. the media has blown this so out of proportion its ridiculous.

there were no shortcuts taken. blowouts are common on drilling rigs. BP has been named the safest oil company many times.

The firefighters did not sink the rig by overflowing it with water, metal
does get hot enough to warp and melt.

This thing is nobody's fault. Just please dont say we need to stop drilling. If you say that, i hope youve got a good horse to ride, cuz you wont be driving those nice 3/4 and 1-ton trucks us ranchers drive.
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
RobinFarmandRanch said:
this is my first post in PB. I wil tell ya'll that ya'll know nothing of what is going on down here. i had family on that rig and have been working in the cleanup process of this. the media has blown this so out of proportion its ridiculous.

there were no shortcuts taken. blowouts are common on drilling rigs. BP has been named the safest oil company many times.

The firefighters did not sink the rig by overflowing it with water, metal
does get hot enough to warp and melt.

This thing is nobody's fault. Just please dont say we need to stop drilling. If you say that, i hope youve got a good horse to ride, cuz you wont be driving those nice 3/4 and 1-ton trucks us ranchers drive.

Thanks for the input RobinFarmandRanch.

What's everyone's feelings towards the Fed Government's response to this disaster?
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Never fear, the Canadians are here.

A Calgary, Alberta citizen has contracted $10 Million worth of a type of oil boom/flood control to BP, to prevent the oil from reaching the coastal areas.

The company is US Flood Control in Nevada.

Looks like the Manitoba Government is also sending down some flood control boom to help out.
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
RobinFarmandRanch said:
this is my first post in PB. I wil tell ya'll that ya'll know nothing of what is going on down here. i had family on that rig and have been working in the cleanup process of this. the media has blown this so out of proportion its ridiculous.

there were no shortcuts taken. blowouts are common on drilling rigs. BP has been named the safest oil company many times.

The firefighters did not sink the rig by overflowing it with water, metal
does get hot enough to warp and melt.

This thing is nobody's fault. Just please dont say we need to stop drilling. If you say that, i hope youve got a good horse to ride, cuz you wont be driving those nice 3/4 and 1-ton trucks us ranchers drive.

Thanks for the input RobinFarmandRanch.

What's everyone's feelings towards the Fed Government's response to this disaster?

Its pretty much the same as my cattle trailer right now, full of BS. There are thousands of people down there workin their tails off to get this thing capped. One of my dad's good friends has been down there since the day it happened. I will tell you this, what BP just did to slow down the flow to 20% is what they have been trying to do since the first day. But people werent happy with slowing the flow down to 20% so they trashed it to try all the other failed attempts at stopping it. The spill would have been alot less drastic if these enviromentals would have let BP handle it. but thats as far as i know, but thats what ive heard from numerous people from the top of companies to the tool pusher on the rig.
 

hopalong

Well-known member
RobinFarmandRanch said:
hypocritexposer said:
RobinFarmandRanch said:
this is my first post in PB. I wil tell ya'll that ya'll know nothing of what is going on down here. i had family on that rig and have been working in the cleanup process of this. the media has blown this so out of proportion its ridiculous.

there were no shortcuts taken. blowouts are common on drilling rigs. BP has been named the safest oil company many times.

The firefighters did not sink the rig by overflowing it with water, metal
does get hot enough to warp and melt.

This thing is nobody's fault. Just please dont say we need to stop drilling. If you say that, i hope youve got a good horse to ride, cuz you wont be driving those nice 3/4 and 1-ton trucks us ranchers drive.

Thanks for the input RobinFarmandRanch.

What's everyone's feelings towards the Fed Government's response to this disaster?

Its pretty much the same as my cattle trailer right now, full of BS. There are thousands of people down there workin their tails off to get this thing capped. One of my dad's good friends has been down there since the day it happened. I will tell you this, what BP just did to slow down the flow to 20% is what they have been trying to do since the first day. But people werent happy with slowing the flow down to 20% so they trashed it to try all the other failed attempts at stopping it. The spill would have been alot less drastic if these enviromentals would have let BP handle it. but thats as far as i know, but thats what ive heard from numerous people from the top of companies to the tool pusher on the rig.


Thanks to you and your people for trying to get this thing under control. You do need to understand there are some on her that are so clueless as to what is happening (like the people in Valley County MT that claim to know every thing, they think it is like turning off a faucet
EH oldtimer :wink:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Well if I look at all the Facebook responses of the locals I know- that think the BP CEO's and execs should be stuffed down the well- along with everyday people I talk to that think this is a man (industry) caused disaster and they Industry) should be the ones tasked with solving it and picking up the tab for all related costs...

The only questions I hear as evidence comes forward is why government regulators allowed what was going on in bypassing many safety features to happen- and has awakened folks to 10 years of OIG reports that found the Minerals Management Service "endemic with corruption" and in the pockets of big oil....
The sad thing is that it was so deeply rooted- that in the in the 11 months Elizabeth "Liz" Birnbaum was head she could not even start to clean it up- and took full bore of the hit....

Maybe now some of the true statesman legislators- and those that recognize and support safeguards for the true pristine areas of our country will put oversight and regulation over the industries stuffing of their pockets...
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
i will say this again, blowout and blowbacks happen all the time. I was a derrickman on land rigs and a tool pusher offshore every summer so that i could pay for college and have enough money to build me a nice house. I was hit with prolly 3 or 4 blowouts every summer. To be honest, if you arent on the front lines, and are only listening to the media(who doesnt know their azz from a hole in the ground about whats being done down here) i feel sorry for you.

This ACCIDENT was not any of BP, transocean, halliburton, or any of the companies fault. static electricity can ignite a blowout or blowback. So please listen to someone who has been there, and dealt with this delimma.

If we keep going like we are here, We will all be doing alot of horseback riding to get cattle to market, and probably put most of us out of business. I dont think anyone will be able to pull a trailer with a Prius or go put out minerals in it either. But hey, at least youll be able to keep your tractor as a yard ornament. :roll:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Rig survivors: BP ordered shortcut on day of blast

By Scott Bronstein and Wayne Drash, CNN
June 8, 2010 8:03 p.m. EDT


(CNN) --
The BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN.

BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.'

."


And that is how the environmentalists want it done too. They have been advocating for the drilling process to not use the "heavy mud", or "brown mud" for years.


4-21-05

Hamel filed a formal complaint in January with the EPA, claiming he had pictures showing a gusher spewing a brown substance. An investigation by Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation determined that as much as 294 gallons of drilling mud was spilled when gas was sucked into wells, causing sprays of drilling muds and oil that shot up as high as 85 feet into the air.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/989/1/89/


These drilling muds and cuttings as well as the produced waters contain, according to the EPA: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, barite, chrome lignosulfate, petroleum hydrocarbons, vanadium, copper, aluminum, chromium, zinc, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, radionuclides, and other heavy metals. All of these chemicals pose a threat to the area surrounding the rigs for as many as forty years. Such threats are affecting the quality of the marine water, harming the organisms that stay on the bottom of the ocean, and, ultimately, having negative impacts throughout the region, which includes changes in the abundance richness and diversity of the marine life from both the physical and toxic effects.


In fact, this rig was in violation in 2003.


As for violations and inspection, it seems that this rig had a few during the Bush years, but was given a safety award just last year.

excerpt from Associated Press article

AP IMPACT: Fed'l Inspections on Rig Not as Claimed
AP IMPACT: Inspections of oil rig fall short of feds' own policy, result in few violations

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES May 16, 2010 (AP)

A summary of the inspection history that the MMS officials provided AP said the Deepwater Horizon received six "incidents of noncompliance" — the agency's term for citations.

The most serious occurred July 16, 2002, when the rig was shut down because required pressure tests had not been conducted on parts of the rig's blowout preventer — the device that was supposed to stop oil from gushing out if drilling operations experienced problems.

That citation was "major," said Arnold, who characterized the overall safety record related by MMS as strong.

A citation on Sept. 19, 2002, also involved the blowout preventer. The inspector issued a warning because "problems or irregularities observed during the testing of BOP system and actions taken to remedy such problems or irregularities are not recorded in the driller's report or referenced documents."

During his Senate testimony last week, Transocean CEO Steven Newman said the blowout preventer was modified in 2005.

According to MMS officials, the four other citations were:

• Two on May 16, 2002, for not conducting well control drills as required and not performing "all operations in a safe and workmanlike manner."

• One on Aug. 6, 2003, for discharging pollutants into the Gulf.

• One on March 20, 2007, which prompted inspectors to shut down some machinery because of improper electrical grounding.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10661614
 

don

Well-known member
i heard a good observation the other day. it was said that if this isn't solved soon and if flow rates have been as high as some estimate this will be america's chernobyl.
 

katrina

Well-known member
RobinFarmandRanch said:
i will say this again, blowout and blowbacks happen all the time. I was a derrickman on land rigs and a tool pusher offshore every summer so that i could pay for college and have enough money to build me a nice house. I was hit with prolly 3 or 4 blowouts every summer. To be honest, if you arent on the front lines, and are only listening to the media(who doesnt know their azz from a hole in the ground about whats being done down here) i feel sorry for you.

This ACCIDENT was not any of BP, transocean, halliburton, or any of the companies fault. static electricity can ignite a blowout or blowback. So please listen to someone who has been there, and dealt with this delimma.

If we keep going like we are here, We will all be doing alot of horseback riding to get cattle to market, and probably put most of us out of business. I dont think anyone will be able to pull a trailer with a Prius or go put out minerals in it either. But hey, at least youll be able to keep your tractor as a yard ornament. :roll:


:agree:

My neighbor was a haliburton man... And was a really good guy.. All down my block on both sides of the street were oil workers of some sort...Except for the corner north of me and he was the john deere dealership owner... :D :D
 
Top