How the Biggest, Most Expensive Oil Spill In History Changed Almost Nothing

merbs writes: Tthe biggest oil spill in US history, despite incurring the largest environmental fine on the books—$18.7 billion, handed down this month—has done almost nothing to change the nation's relationship to oil. Five years after the spill, and, by BP's count, $54 billion in projected total expenses, there have been no serious legislative efforts to improve the oversight or regulation of the United States' still-expanding offshore oil operations. Public opinion of deepwater drilling barely budged during the ordeal; today, a majority of Americans favor doing even more of it.

Comments

Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[Joce640k]

Country run by oil barons does nothing when there's an oil problem!?!

Film at 11.

Re:Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[tiberus]

And investment in [,,,] clean-nuclear [...]

Clean nuclear, doesn't nuclear fuel have a pesky rather long term disposal issue? Granted I'd never heard of using Thorium as a fuel before but, I don't get a warm fuzzy about the use of 'er' in cleaner and safer.

Re:Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[ShanghaiBill]

Clean nuclear, doesn't nuclear fuel have a pesky rather long term disposal issue?

No. Not to rational people. A thorium fuel cycle could reduce the waste by at least an order of magnitude, but even uranium PWRs are "good enough". Just bury the waste in a deep geologic structure in an arid region. In about 500 years it will be less radioactive than the ore from with it was originally mined. If you don't think that is "good enough", then please explain why.

There are legitimate concerns about nuclear power, and especially about PWRs, but "long-term waste" is not one of them.

Re:Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep. The free market tends to work this sort of thing out eventually, so long as its freedom is protected.

Wealthy oil companies have a financial incentive to block efforts that would ultimately compete with their offerings. If they are rich enough, they can control the market and prevent these alternatives from ever getting a foothold, even if they are superior in every way.

Unfortunately, the *only* way to ensure that the market remains free is through government intervention. And we know all to well who controls the government.

Re:Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[Joce640k]

It's what we should have been investing in until renewables are advanced enough to take over.

But hey, we got the F35 instead. Winner!

Re:Country run by oil barons does nothing!!!

[JabberWokky]

I know that *I* refuse to fly -- I've seen the footage of the Hindenberg. I know how dangerous flying is, and I would assume that absolutely no progress has been made in the last 79 years.

Similarly, in the last 37 years since Chernobyl, I can't imagine that anybody has had any ideas. It's not like nuclear engineering or flight are new fields that would have major advances.

I look forward to your reply when you get this message in the next few weeks, and hope to have your response in the next couple months!

It changed something all right

[drinkypoo]

Nobody wants to eat anything that comes out of the gulf

Sure, I favor doing more of it

[bondsbw]

Public opinion of deepwater drilling barely budged during the ordeal; today, a majority of Americans favor doing even more of it.

In light of all the rockets that have exploded and astronauts killed over the years, I favor doing even more space exploration.

Just because something is unsafe, doesn't mean I want to stop doing it. Sometimes it's worth doing so long as it can be done more safely.

Re:Wait for the government suckers.

[ganjadude]

as opposed to pro government people who see something and say see??? of only we had more power we could have fixed it!!! (ignoring the horrible track record our government has at making things betteR)

Are you sure something needed to change?

[towermac]

Nothing can just be an accident, can it? Someone screwed you over somewhere...

They are getting away with it, and again, Congress does nothing. (Well except the initial authorization to manage deep sea drilling, and those managers now require use of an improved version of the wellhead thing that broke) But other than that, nothing!

Something must be done! Will no one think of the children?

The article is deeply flawed.

[whit3]

The Deepwater Horizon accident caused loss of life, loss of expensive equipment, bad publicity, fines, and payment of significant damages. BP corporate interests were heavily impacted, and it's hard to imagine that any US regulatory change would focus more attention on safety and efficiency in future drilling.

Hey, the US doesn't OWN all of 'offshore', or even Gulf of Mexico, you know! If BP wanted to do something silly again, they could dodge any and all regulation, by simple selection of a foreign drilling site.

But, BP won't do something silly again. Not for a long time. BP will, for purely profit-seeking reasons, manage better in future. BP employees, for their own personal safety, will be more inclined to caution and prudence.

The best thing the US government can do, is to insist on full disclosure of any and all safety-related information, that could be of use in future planning (including regulation) by any and all persons, anywhere in the world, The courts (not regulators, not legislators) did perform that function, I hope adequately. BP cooperated, responsibly (IMHO).

The author of the article clearly wants restrictions on 'them', as a kind of punishment for a criime, even if it means some kind of ex-post-facto criminalization. He's missing the productive possibility of doing things better, because he wants to see someone's time wasted in a public pillory.