Friday, April 30, 2010

Deepwater Horizon

We're watching a slow motion disaster. Just beyond the horizon. Out of sight but always in our minds. Where's the oil? Will it start washing up on the beach today? Tomorrow? When? How many birds will it kill? How long will our commercial fishermen be unemployed? What will it cost to clean up? When will they stop new oil from spilling into our Gulf? And a thousand other questions. None of which have real answers.

For now, eleven families have lost their loved ones. For now, there is a ten day ban on commercial fishing. For now, projected clean up costs reach $12B. For now, projected fishing losses reach $3B. For now, projected tourism losses reach $4B. And for now, there is no projected animal body count. We have to wait to see how that goes.

As for repairs? For now, six non-stop teams of remote-controlled robotic subs have failed to stop the flow. For now, it could be two more weeks before concrete-and-steel sleeves are put in place to cap the three gushing lines. For now, it could take $100M and three months to get a relief rig in place to tap the feed to the open lines.

And for now, the corpse of Deepwater Horizon continues to spew two hundred thousand gallons of raw crude into the Gulf each and every day.

That's roughly two million gallons of oil released, so far.

And it won't be stopping any time soon.

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