The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

THE FACTS: ... experts say the relief well runs the same risks that caused the original well to blow out. It potentially could create a worse spill if engineers were to accidentally damage the existing well or tear a hole in the undersea oil reservoir.

while the first statement is true, given the example of the DwH, prudence and caution will be exercised to an extreme. The part about accidentally damaging the well and tearing a hole in the reservoir is nonsense. Drilling into another well is damaging by definition but the original well appears to be so damaged that it would be difficult to screw it up more by drilling into it (which is actually the optimal result). Tearing holes in reservoirs.....eesh, total crap.

getting back to go seek's post: i listened to the first part of the congressional inquisition of the 'big oil' execs. Several representatives referred to the title of the hearing as being something like 'future of energy' rather than being narrowly related to the DwH accident and safer exploitation of deepwater oil. A good bit of the discussion revolved around climate change and alternative energy development. It would be nice if Representatives held their assertions to the same level of proof or support that they seek to impose on others. As an aside, some of the phrases i heard sound suspiciously identical to some favored by certain politically well connected humans at MIT and some of the DOE labs. The expertise and motivations there have zero relationship to deepwater oil exploration and production.