Obama halts ALL new offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

[??????????]

Well we can end our addiction when cold fusion is achieved, until then the other things we do are just shows really.

[opebo]

Well we can end our addiction when cold fusion is achieved, until then the other things we do are just shows really.

Or when the civilization collapses and 3/4 of the population dies off.

[??????????]

The world is hardly overpopulated. Quit perpetuating that myth.

[Lunar]

[opebo]

The world is hardly overpopulated. Quit perpetuating that myth.

It isn't overpopulated, but without fossil fuels and modern technology, would couldn't support so many.

Actually, its an interesting question - how many people could the US support at AD 1800 levels of technology.

[Хahar 🤔]

It would be nice if the extra space were used to support people, but that would never happen.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Honestly, if we could just drill in shallower waters, this problem would've been fixed already - just pointing that out.

[Lunar]

Honestly, if we could just drill in shallower waters, this problem would've been fixed already - just pointing that out.

But of each gallon spewed, more would reach the shore, no?  I'm not really sure on the science behind what's the most damaging to our shoreline, I just know that the pro/anti off-shore drilling people need to wake up and realize that offshore drilling isn't the issue, it's our dependence on oil.  More offshore drilling isn't going to affect oil prices, and less offshore drilling isn't going to protect our* oceanic ecosystems.  

Many of the worst oil disasters in our world's history have nothing to do with offshore drilling.  The worst were war-related in the Iraq-Kuawit-Iran stuff, but even then, some of the epic spills were caused off of the coasts of Alaska and Brittany by ships containing oil.

*The world's

[Torie]

I suspect most of this oil on the beach and glades stuff will fade away fairly quickly in this climate. So it is more an economic than an environmental issue over the longer term, and of course in the short term, the economic consequences could be severe, if fishing stops, along with tourism, or is cut way back.

It does seem to me unacceptable to drill in waters so deep, that the technology for the exit strategy when things go wrong, is so untested, and problematical. How a license was issued in the face of such inadequate technology strikes me as a major F up. And in that regard, one has to assume human error will occur and protocols not followed from time to time. The issue is how reliable the technology is to cap a well if it blows, and how long it will take, because human error or misjudgment, will cause another blow in due course.

[Lunar]

untested,

Hopefully more testing won't be needed.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I can agree with the statement that we need to get off oil.

[??????????]

Honestly, if we could just drill in shallower waters, this problem would've been fixed already - just pointing that out.

But of each gallon spewed, more would reach the shore, no?  I'm not really sure on the science behind what's the most damaging to our shoreline, I just know that the pro/anti off-shore drilling people need to wake up and realize that offshore drilling isn't the issue, it's our dependence on oil.  More offshore drilling isn't going to affect oil prices, and less offshore drilling isn't going to protect our* oceanic ecosystems.  

Many of the worst oil disasters in our world's history have nothing to do with offshore drilling.  The worst were war-related in the Iraq-Kuawit-Iran stuff, but even then, some of the epic spills were caused off of the coasts of Alaska and Brittany by ships containing oil.

*The world's

Yes, the beach would have been hit quicker but the pipe would have been plugged by now.

[Torie]

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Precisely. What a concept! Who knew?

[Brittain33]

Honestly, if we could just drill in shallower waters, this problem would've been fixed already - just pointing that out.

Is there evidence that if we could drill in shallower waters, that the oil companies would have left this oil "on the table," as it were?

This is not an either/or situation. Either drilling in deep water is safe, or it isn't, but no one is holding a gun to anyone's head and saying you must drill in the Gulf of Mexico, your choice is where.

Have Republicans ever come out against deepwater drilling? Does anyone think MMS would have rejected an application for drilling in the Deepwater Horizon area? What would competitive pressures among U.S. oil companies to find reserves have done to keep all of them from choosing to explore in this region? (How awesome am I at phrasing loaded questions where I already know the answer?)

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

A reactionary move, but absolutely necessary, politically.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Honestly, if we could just drill in shallower waters, this problem would've been fixed already - just pointing that out.

Honestly I don't see any reason to believe that's true at all. Mainly because there's something to directly look at to see of that's true. Consider:

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The real lesson here is that we're using not just similar remedies for stopping these things that failed way back when; we're using the exact same kind of tactics entirely. We have no solid tactic that stops these things, but we're drilling deeper and deeper. If we couldn't stop a leak in an alarmingly similar incident only 160 feet underwater with identical efforts, I have absolutely no reason to believe that shallow water is somehow this huge help.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I stand corrected.