This disaster is 100% BP's fault, but we need to factor in the newly gained knowledge that a spill in these depths is potentially much worse than one in shallow water because of the technical challenges of operating at these depths. It will take MONTHS to drill a relief well, and in the meantime, 50,000 gallons of oil is leaking per day. More regulation is needed of the industry, that much is sure. But we also need to look at developing less risky Oil sites.
We are at least several decades from becoming independent from oil. Even if every car and power plant were converted to some other technology, plant based plastics are still in their infancy and not ready to be mass produced. Oil is the lifeblood of the world economic system, a failure to properly manage the production and distribution of it will lead to higher oil prices, which in turn will lead to higher prices on everything else. We need to do our part to conserve as well, and not waste oil since it is a finite resource. But we can not ignore the fact that in today's world, it is the best alternative for energy that we have yet found in terms of cost, energy density, and abundance.
I am all for extensive use of Green Technology such as Solar and Wind, but these will only slow the growth in demand for energy, not replace Oil. The truth is, there is no suitable replacement for oil. An automobile gas tank which is full has 80 times the energy of an electric auto which is fully charged. That is a huge disparity, not likely to be overcome any time soon. While we continue to refine our green energy tech, we must continue to develop existing Oil source in responsible and safe ways. A failure to secure our energy future would be just as irresponsible as the actions of the BP crew on the Oil Rig who gambled on safety and lost.
I hope for all or our sakes that this tragedy doesn't turn into a call for an extended moratorium on all drilling in the U.S., but it appears that this is exactly what is happening. The Oil Companies are being setup to take the fall for this when many of them have operated responsibly and safely for a very long time now. This is politics as usual and I hope that most people see through it. The Government did a terrible job of ensuring that BP was operating safely, and now we are all paying the price. The Government also failed to provide for any kind of response. This is tragic and inexcusable considering the recent experience with Katrina and the abundance of Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Standing back and saying that it is the Oil Company's responsibility is no substitute for ensuring before hand that someone is prepared to respond to such a disaster. Why was there no response plan? If Bush were still in Office they would be calling for his impeachment now. I think/hope that people are still in shock and will eventually snap out of it and demand answers of Obama. Why was he busy pushing a Health Care Bill that a majority of US citizens don't want while the MMS was ignoring their duty to protect Miners and Gulf Oil Workers. What other parts of the Government are being run this ineffectively while Obama pushes his progressive agenda. There is something to be said for progress, but not at the expense good stewardship of the existing and necessary functions of Government. How can we, the richest country in the world, be so unprepared for something that was so predictable?
