In some past major oil spills, tankers have been deployed to vacuum up the oil which floats on the surface. I wonder why that's not being done?
Whoa!!! That never occurred to me! Is it even remotely possible that tanker resource is being used to withhold supply from the market to artificially hold oil prices up so they are not available for skimming the gulf oil??
no, its not because tankers aren't available. the reason they aren't vacuuming it up is very simple -- BP is using a toxic chemical dispersant, at the source of the leak, to break the oil up. unfortunately, the net effect is that it simply molecularly mixes with water forming huge undersea plumes that are invisible at the surface. i dont know whether its better to have it wash up on shores, or simply spread throughout the deep gulf. i guess we will find out: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...creates-huge-undersea-dead-zones-1987039.html
That's downright criminal. Absolutely disgusting. "Disperse" one toxic mass with another toxic mass, compounding the problem. Out of sight, out of mind.
BP's response has been weak, and Obama has gone along with it. Using tankers to store oily water shoud have been done from week one. Now, 40 days later, they still haven't been forced to do it. There should have been a fleet of tankers out there. Maybe it wouldn't have been 100% effective, but it beats just letting the oil disperse. Louisiana has wanted to dredge coastal barriers but couldn't get permission from the Corps of Engineers, the same collection of dim bulbs that gave us the NO levees. They were probably worried about enivormentalists filing endless lawsuits. Better to just let the oil come ashore and wring your hands. Meanwhile, Obama is enjoying another leisurely vacation.