Deepwater Horizon was a fluke. Off shore drilling is sooooo verrrry, verrrrrry safe....
A Mariner Energy oil rig, the Vermillion Block 380, burns 80 miles south of the Louisiana coast Thursday. The fire has since been put out.
KATC3/AFP/Newscom
The Mariner Energy rig Vermillion 380 exploded yesterday off the coast of Louisiana. There was all this talk about how there was no spill and yet I see in the fairly reliable Bloomberg this morning that they were noting a mile long 100 feet wide sheen on the water. Don't know about you but I'm thinking that maybe some oil spilled. Because really, water doesn't have a sheen to it. (I know this for a fact because I'm a PhD chemist. Definitely. Not. Sheen-y)
“This incident will increase pressure on the federal government to prolong the moratorium,” said Gianna Bern, president of Brookshire Advisory & Research Inc., a former BP crude oil trader whose Flossmoor, Illinois, firm provides risk-management advice to oil producers. ( from the Bloomberg article)
Well, ya think? (Frankly, I'm slightly pessimistic Gianna... I really don't know what it will take to get a lasting moratorium on offshore drilling in this country.) About the only good thing here is that the Vermillion 380 stands in only 400 feet of water.
And on the note of thinking of how the very last thing that Louisiana needs is more oil in offshore waters, let me direct readers to Hurricane Creeper's most recent blog post, in which it looks like oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill is working its way inland, following evidence of a fish kill in the Choctawhachee Bay. Evidence of oil working its way into the bay was first reported last Thursday by the Walton Sun. You can check out the Destin Log photogallery. Choctawhachee Bay is right near Destin, which had some of those pristine beaches you may remember from some of my earlier blog posts. Destin's beaches have remained open and unblemished according to the city's webpage. Although I do recall seeing video back in June of tar balls washing up on a Destin beach and a child getting one stuck on her foot. But the Destin webpage says it all swell there. Seafood is safe to eat.
All so safe. Just like offshore drilling.
After looking at Jennie Hobbs's photos, I'm thinking I'll be skipping it, thank you.
I want my Nissan Leaf. Now please.
© Bright Nepenthe, 2010
