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Title: Bush Interior Chiefs: No One Expected Major Spill
Source:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
URL Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic ... /07/20/national/w084859D04.DTL
Published: Jul 20, 2010
Author: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Post Date: 2010-07-20 17:11:48 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 12563
Comments: 31
Two former Interior secretaries told Congress Tuesday they did not anticipate an accident as large as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne say no one else did either — including members of Congress who are now blaming the Bush administration for failing to prevent the tragedy. Kempthorne, who served as Interior secretary from 2006 to January 2009, while George W. Bush was president, said he did not recall being asked at his confirmation hearing or in later congressional testimony about major oil spills. In fact, Kempthorne said, the opposite occurred. In testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he recalled being pointedly asked why Interior wasn't doing more to expand offshore energy development, not less. Those concerns were driven by $4 per gallon gas prices, Kempthorne said. Norton, who served from 2001 to 2006, also under Bush, said the industry had a remarkable safety record, including during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the panel's chairman, said the Interior Department made serious mistakes under both President Bush and President Barack Obama. "The cop on the beat was off-duty for nearly a decade. And this gave rise to a culture of permissiveness," Waxman said. Waxman said the agency's problems escalated dramatically under a "secretive task force" on energy organized by former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2001. The task force gave Interior marching orders to provide incentives to oil and gas companies to increase domestic production, while reducing regulatory impediments that may slow production, Waxman said. Under her watch, he told Norton, it appeared that the mission of the Minerals Management Service — the Interior agency responsible for offshore drilling — was mainly to serve the oil and gas industry by helping to expand deepwater drilling. Her decisions "sent a clear message: the priority was more drilling first, safety second," Waxman said. Norton, now a lawyer for Royal Dutch Shell oil company, called that unfair. Under her watch, Interior took numerous steps to increase safety, including reducing the area where drilling was permitted off the coast of Florida, she said. Norton said the 2001 terrorist attacks brought the need for domestic energy production "shockingly into focus," adding that the attacks transformed the need for more domestic energy "into a matter of grave national security." Norton and Kempthorne urged Congress to take a balanced approach, increasing safety while not unnecessarily impeding domestic drilling. Both said they opposed a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the Obama administration. "In my mind you don't ground all the airplanes because there was one problem" with a plane crash, Norton said. "The important thing is to address the (safety) issues, not send the drilling rigs overseas where they may not return for several year," with the result that thousands of jobs are sent to other countries, she said. Kempthorne called an initial safety review appropriate after the April 20 explosion, which killed 11 men, but said the moratorium now is causing more harm than good.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Duh article of the day. How many deep water oil rigs? How many leaks of this nature have occured? Duh.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
I guess logically then Clinton was guilty of not preventing 9/11? Sneakypete, have you ever been married? Said things you later regretted?
"In my mind you don't ground all the airplanes because there was one problem" with a plane crash, Norton said. "The important thing is to address the (safety) issues, not send the drilling rigs overseas where they may not return for several year," with the result that thousands of jobs are sent to other countries, she said.
Who owned the abandoned well 1.83 miles from the mc 252 Macondo 1. What was the number of the abandoned well the leak is now coming from. The US owns bp.
President Tarball approved of everything BP was doing. Will you total losers ever take responsibility for your fucking incompetence?
Dirty Fucking Hippies, why won't we die!!!! 8D, have been Screaming about this since offshore came to be. All of those 'offshore rigs bring more fish, wildlife to the Gulf' ads. Ohhh, I remember them so clearly. Same arguements as the Too Cheap to Meter nuke ads, before Chernobyl. Same thing: NO ONE could have seen this coming. NO ONE could have predicted this. BullShit Apologists for Planet Killers. It's Corporations/The Top 50 000 v the People. U Pick 'Em. And to my earlier point. BP paid only $406,060 for Block 103 in the Keathley Canyon about 250 miles southeast of Houston as the single bidder in the 2003 Western Gulf of Mexico auction held by the U.S. Minerals Management Service, according to a government spokeswoman. The cost for the site lease wouldn't even cover one day's worth of drilling, which costs $458,000 to $517,000 for each 24-hour period. Leta Smith, director of the exploration and production forum for IHS CERA, said the BP discovery raises the prospects for the Lower Tertiary region, first heralded by Chevron's Jack discovery. "People are always continuing to look for oil and gas, and this Lower Tertiary play is still in its infancy," Smith said. "This is only the 18th discovery in this play." Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market- news-story.aspx?storyid=200909030418dowjonesdjonline000396&title=bp-discovery-brings-deep-water-gulf-of-mexico-into-focus#ixzz0uJkdxUld The Only Other Well, abandoned or otherwise in a 5-7 mile radius of the mc 252 #001 Macondo, would be the one Deepwater abandoned March 2010: A March 10 e-mail to Frank Patton, the U.S. Minerals Management Service’s drilling engineer for the New Orleans district, from BP executive Scherie Douglas said the company planned to sever the pipe connecting the well to the rig and plug the hole. “We are in the midst of a well control situation on MC 252 #001 and have stuck pipe,” Douglas wrote, referring to the subsea block, Mississippi Canyon 252, of the stricken well. “We are bringing out equipment to begin operations to sever the drillpipe, plugback the well and bypass.” http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-0 ... owout.html
Contractor: BP Pumped Unusual Chemicals Into Well Before Explosion A contractor working on the Deepwater Horizon when it exploded testified yesterday that the day before the explosion, BP had pumped an unusual chemical mixture into the well -- a mixture that later rained down on the rig like "snot." Leo Lindner, a drilling fluid specialist for M-I Swaco, told the panel investigating the causes of the explosion that BP decided to mix two chemicals the company had a surplus of -- two chemicals that aren't usually mixed -- and pump them into the well to flush out the drilling mud. "It's not something we've ever done before," he said. [Snip]
"It's not something we've ever done before," he said. Thank you very much, Fred First. MI SWACO is Schlumberger/somebody else. Second. The above means that not only were they removing mud/replacing seawater; they were actively pushing/flushing the mud out. $750 000 per day X 35 days 'behind schedule = $26,250,000 if I've done my math right. That's the amt they were trying to 'save.' Thanx again. I'll go read the source. Criminal indeed: And I can find nothing on the Deepwater rig from March 6-20. I still think the 'abandoned well' 3 km away is the one bp left in March. If not, then someone, somewhere needs to ID whose well it was/is. Because there is ZERO record of ANYONE driling the MC 252 besides bp. James
A Twofer!!! bp was getting rid of it's hazmats. And taking out the mud at the same time. Just a Day in the Life of a sociopath. Reminds me of white trash throwing their McD's trash and Keystone cans onto my property at roadside. Same mindset.
* * March 17 - BP Chief Tony Hayward sells one third of his BP stock (223,288 shares).[16] Closing BP price on March 17 on the New York Stock Exchange is 58.15. * March - An accident damages a gasket on the blowout preventer on the rig.[10]
$13 million is chump change to the elites.
$13 million is chump change to the elites. No. I disagree. Not when it's going directly into their Direct Deposit accts. It's every penny then. "The 450 bbls rained down on the deck like 'snot'. About an inch layer." Updated July 19, 3:45 PM EST It is time to ask why on earth the Obama administration and the Coast Guard are allowing BP to continue keeping a tight lid on the top of the run-away, damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. Leaks from the sea floor are appearing and growing in number, making it clear that the BP Deepwater Horizon well is gravely damaged. That being the case, it is obvious that any effort to restrict the flow of oil from the top of the well, by increasing the pressure inside the 2.5-mile long casing that runs down to the oil reservoir will only make any breaches in the casing worse, allowing oil and gas under high pressure to move into the surrounding concrete liner and the geological formations, where they will force their way up to the surface in an uncontrollable way. Why would anyone want this to happen?" Everyone from Halliburton to Goldman Sachs started making moves around March 15. The Ides of March indeed. They knew all hell was about to break lose. They even put a Well TRAINEE in charge the weeks before 052010.
Just a Day in the Life of a sociopath. I noticed that too.
The abandoned well leaking was bp's 'Hurricane Ida damaged one Nov 09. The Deepwater Horizon essentially a relief well for Well "A". And this one has the dates a schematics and a map of Well "B", the Deepwater: The March 8-14 control event, a Schlumberger tool was used. This tool was subsequently abandoned in the well. The well has more pipe strings that a typical well, likely caused by the numerous well control events. They include: * 36-in. conductor * 28-in. and 22-in. casing strings * 18-in. liner * 16-in. casing string * 135:0;8-in., 117:0;8-in. * 97:0;8-in. liners * 7 by 97:0;8-in. production casing Dates: November 9 Hurricane Ida, well A. Based only on the account by Transocean, several control events occurred during the well drilling. The timeline also points out that not all of these events were successfully controlled.These dates include: * Feb. 17-23 * Mar. 2-5 You'll look long and hard to find any mc252 incident in March. * Mar. 8-14 * Apr. 4-7 http://markimoore.com/history-design-macondo-well-bop/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/32990070/BP-s-Initial-Exploration-Plan-for-Mississippi-Canyon-Block-252-Dated-February-2009 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MEMORANDUM March 10, 2009 Subject : Control # TYPe Lease (s) Operator Description Rig Type Public Information copy of plan N-09349 Initial Exploration Plan 252 Mississippi Canyon Area OCS-G32306 Block BP Exploration & Production Inc. Wells A and B SEMISUBMERSIBLE Attached is a copy of the subject plan. It has been deemed submitted as of this date and is under review for approval. Michelle Griffitt Plan Coordinator Site Type/Name WELL/A WELL/B
I must be out of the loop or you're finding new stuff. Thanks.
Mcclown, when are the millions going to be evacuated from the GOM? How about that "peak oil" thingy and the millions that you predicted are going to die as a dirrect result of Obama's oil catastrophe?
Hey jerx, make up your own shit like mcclown does.
Brand new. The photoshop screen replaced was showing Well "A". Allen stated yesterday that an 'abandoned well was leaking'. I knew that bp was the only one to drill 5 000 ft sub sea. It had to belong to bp. Well "A" is the one Simmon's has been talking about. Only took 91 Days for us to find the second well. 8D
Mcclown, when are the millions going to be evacuated from the GOM? How about that "peak oil" thingy and the millions that you predicted are going to die as a dirrect result of Obama's oil catastrophe?
Is Well 'A' the one about six miles away from the gusher?
Will Cuba and Mexico have to be evacuated also, mcclown?
Now it's coming. Google mc 252 Well "A". The BP application to the MMS references two sites for exploration in the same tract, one 50 miles offshore, (Site A) and one 49 miles offshore (Site B). The bottom lease area block information on both well sites is listed in the documents as: WELL/A - G32306/MC/252 6943 FNL, 1036 FEL WELL/B - G32306/MC/252 7066 FNL, 1326 FEL The Transocean Marianas Rig was initially tasked to drill both wells, with Well A to begin 7/15/2009 for a 100 day run, and well site B to be drilled 7/15/2010. Transocean Marianas began late, however. On October 7, 2009 it began drilling on the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. On November 9, 2009 it was damaged by Hurricane Ida and was replaced by the ill fated Deepwater Horizon which was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when that rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Apparently the first well was abandoned when a drilling tool became stuck in the well bore. BP reimbursed the maker of the tool for the cost and then moved to site B. But was the initial well affected in any way by the blowout? NO Contingency for Blowout or H2S Hazard in Macondo Well Plans Application documents for the initial exploration plan (EP) on the Macondo 252 Deepwater Horizon well apparently did not require any contingency plan in the event of a blowout, or for the presence and management of dangerous H2S. Quoting from section 2.7 of these documents: “2.7 Blowout Scenario - A scenario for a potential blowout of the well from which BP would expect to have the highest volume of liquid hydrocarbons is not required for the operations proposed in this EP.” But look at these estimates of the amount of crude that these wells might release! According to the application, the volume of oil that could be released from an uncontrolled blowout in site A was estimated to be 300,000, BPD crude oil at API Gravity of 28 Degrees, and 162,000 BPD for site B at API gravity of 33 Degrees. (API Gravity determines the lightness or heaviness of the oil, and this is on the border of “Light” or “Medium” crude oil. ) http://thewritingshop.blogspot.com/2010/07/two-wells-at-macondo-no-plans-for.html They've been lying their asses off. No wonder the US/bp have been tight lipped. It's out of control. A hurricane Cat 1/2 will kill a 50=100 milie stretch of coast. a Cat 3/5 will devastate a 250 mile stretch.
Like you????????????? Mcclown, when are the millions going to be evacuated from the GOM? How about that "peak oil" thingy and the millions that you predicted are going to die as a direct result of Obama's oil catastrophe?
Jesus H. Christ.
You and that liar mcclown should be ashamed.
Jesus H. Christ. Another possibility. : What if what we're looking at is WELL "A". Folks I have a sneaking suspicion that what we are watching is the compromised and quickly abandoned well A, Well B may or may not be a relief well originally dug for well A. The point is moot because B is gone. I believe it is well B that has lost its casing and BOP. And this is what Simmons is alluding to. the reason we have two relief wells going is one is meant to kill well A The other relief well is there to kill well B The cap on well A reads only 6800 psi because by BPs own admission there were cracks in the well bore way down . Well A's bore that is Essentially Simmons is right I just think BP is conveniently using well A as a cover. A grand game of "watch the birdy" while in fact is well B thats the 120,000 barell a day monster Simmons death silo. http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/ ... 54.45.html
Reneging on your predictions, mcclown?
I'll pick up with this tomorrow. It almost sounds like intentional disinfo/misdirection.
You expect something different from mcclown, the predictor of millions having to be evacuated from the GOM, millions of deaths as a direct result of the Obama disaster and "peak oil"? How fookin naive are you, jerx?
True The Bush administration did not waive the safety protocols as Spill baby Spill Party did. 11 days before the BP Oil rig blast The Obama administration exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html
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And 9 years earlier Cheney fixes liabilites while allowing bp to use inferior equipment. bp and BigOil can regulate themselves. Tell me who's BigOil favorite party. Name me ONE BigOil from Houston who's a Democrat. LMFAO
#2. To: Brian S (#0)
But Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne say no one else did either — including members of Congress who are now blaming the Bush administration for failing to prevent the tragedy.
#3. To: Brian S (#0)
Both said they opposed a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the Obama administration.
#4. To: Brian S (#0)
#5. To: Brian S (#0)
#6. To: Brian S (#0)
#7. To: mcgowanjm (#6)
#8. To: Fred Mertz (#7)
(Edited)
Leo Lindner, a drilling fluid specialist for M-I Swaco, told the panel investigating the causes of the explosion that BP decided to mix two chemicals the company had a surplus of -- two chemicals that aren't usually mixed -- and pump them into the well to flush out the drilling mud.
#9. To: Fred Mertz (#7)
#10. To: Fred Mertz (#7)
#11. To: mcgowanjm (#10)
* March 17 - BP Chief Tony Hayward sells one third of his BP stock (223,288 shares).[16] Closing BP price on March 17 on the New York Stock Exchange is 58.15.
#12. To: Fred Mertz (#11)
(Edited)
#13. To: mcgowanjm (#9)
bp was getting rid of it's hazmats. And taking out the mud at the same time.
#14. To: Fred Mertz (#13)
#15. To: mcgowanjm (#14)
The Deepwater Horizon essentially a relief well for Well "A".
#16. To: mcgowanjm (#14)
#17. To: Fred Mertz, mcclown (#15)
I must be out of the loop or you're finding new stuff.
#18. To: Fred Mertz (#15)
you're finding new stuff.
#19. To: mcgowanjm (#18)
Only took 91 Days for us to find the second well. 8D
#20. To: mcgowanjm (#18)
#21. To: Fred Mertz, mcgowanjm (#20)
Is Well 'A' the one about six miles away from the gusher?
#22. To: Fred Mertz (#20)
#23. To: mcgowanjm (#22)
They've been lying their asses off.
#24. To: mcgowanjm (#22)
According to the application, the volume of oil that could be released from an uncontrolled blowout in site A was estimated to be 300,000, BPD crude oil at API Gravity of 28 Degrees, and 162,000 BPD for site B at API gravity of 33 Degrees. (API Gravity determines the lightness or heaviness of the oil, and this is on the border of “Light” or “Medium” crude oil. )
#25. To: Fred Mertz, mcgowanjm (#24)
Jesus H. Christ.
#26. To: Fred Mertz (#24)
#27. To: mcgowanjm (#26)
(Edited)
Another possibility.
#28. To: mcgowanjm (#26)
#29. To: Fred Mertz, mcgowanjm (#28)
It almost sounds like intentional disinfo/misdirection.
#30. To: Brian S (#0)
Toss: ADL,CAIR and the Vatican into the pit they belong in.
#31. To: WhiteSands (#30)
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