Deepwater

This morning I heard on the news that the "oil spill" in the Gulf of Mexico- associated with the busted oil rig- is "leaking" at least 200,000 gallons of oil a DAY.

Here's one link. Then there's this link. ::sigh:: THIS is why we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Recovery is a risky game. This scale of release is pretty unimaginable seeing as in my line of work, a spill of a few thousand gallons on land is a big event. This spill is hundreds of thousands of gallons PER DAY in a medium that readily allows for movement of contaminants. It's pretty intimidating. And it's more intimidating that no one really knows what to do. As of the date of these articles, decisions on what to do to staunch the bleed still haven't been solidified.

This the biggest reason I am opposed to expanding the natural gas drilling. Accidents. So far, I've been told that NYS is digging in their heels and denying the natural gas drillers rights to "pour billions of dollars into the economy." However PA is accepting drilling with open arms. Yes, I'm sure that this money will be good in the short term. But what happens in the "rare event" that groundwater aquifer is contaminated or a collapse would occur? I have a feeling this is a built-in cost for these companies, and the amount of money for compensation is much less than what they can make from natural gas recovery. Meanwhile, the local residents who were already struggling and accepted this drilling with the promise of money have to deal with the unsightly, unfortunate, and devastating consequences of an accident.

I worry for that area of the Gulf. Hopefully they WILL be on top of it all like they say. Right now though, all we can do is hope.