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Oklahoma Earthquakes Are a National Security Threat (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A Bloomberg article makes the case that the U.S. must consider the earthquake situation in Oklahoma a national security threat. The town of Cushing, OK is small — fewer than 10,000 people. But enough oil is stored there at times to eclipse the entire U.S. daily usage. "The oil in Cushing props up the $179 billion in West Texas Intermediate futures and options contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange." In the wake of the September 11th attacks, government officials posted guards near the giant storage facilities; they're that important to the U.S. economy.
Unfortunately, the rising seismic activity in Oklahoma is putting those tanks at risk. The article argues that if a terrorist attack would threaten national security, so must an equally devastating natural disaster. This raises major questions for the legality of fracking, which has been linked to the increased number of earthquakes striking Oklahoma over the past decade. "Last month the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees oil and gas, ordered wells within three miles to shut down entirely and those between three and six miles from the town to reduce their volume by 25 percent."
Unfortunately, the rising seismic activity in Oklahoma is putting those tanks at risk. The article argues that if a terrorist attack would threaten national security, so must an equally devastating natural disaster. This raises major questions for the legality of fracking, which has been linked to the increased number of earthquakes striking Oklahoma over the past decade. "Last month the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees oil and gas, ordered wells within three miles to shut down entirely and those between three and six miles from the town to reduce their volume by 25 percent."
A large oil tank farm is an example of infrastructure that can be threatened by a number of disasters, from tornados to terrorism. But as soon as you say "fracking", the swarms of small earthquakes that lubrication of shallow rock strata can create suddenly become much more important than other threats that are historically worse in the region. You can get the same effect by dropping "nuclear" into any discussion.
Its a problem. A big one.
But are we going to start arresting earthquakes and sending them to Gitmo now?
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Earthquakes caused by fracking will destroy a large part of the oil that is produced by the process. Fracking is still a new and untested technology, at least to the depths they are pushing. Toxic, acidic water tables and unnamed chemicals being pumped thousands of feet below your feet. No one in America is kicking up a fuss apart from a few small communities affected by this so you fully deserve the hell it will bring.
Those 2-3 richter scale earthquakes could cause devastation. The security guards' "best Dad" coffee cups might fall onto the floor and break.
The 4.5 scale quake might even set off the alarms!
This raises major questions for the legality of fracking, which has been linked to the increased number of earthquakes striking Oklahoma over the past decade.
This isn't true. Even the EPA has been forced to admit that freaking is safe.
Duh. Because we know the fissures could rupture a portal and release the Kaiju. Read. Your. Bibles.
Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
AC: You write a good post. I would mod you up for it, but you don't want to take credit for your work. That's chickenshit. Good for growing vegetables, but not much more... We are poisoning our environment in countless ways. This is but one of them. A big shout out to all you good corporations and government overlords for being so caring about your "CUSTOMERS"!!!
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Don't listen to the pundits.
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Only taxation can be curbed building new structures. Since taxes will be used to protect Cushing oil reservoirs, funds need to be given away to the oil company which owns this structure.
Also, additional gas consumption tax should be added to each and every gallon of fuel.
Electric cars need to pay mileage tax, since they do not pay their fair share of taxes.
For those who do not drive and, thus, do not consume oil directly, a special tax needs to be added because in order to receive necessary revenues, we need everyone paying taxes (just like Obamacare taxes).
Amish, nuns, Congress can be exempted from the requirements of this socially fair and needed law.
get the TSA after them. That'll fix it.
"The oil in Cushing props up the $179 billion in West Texas Intermediate futures and options contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange."
This single sentence is all you need to know about the motivations behind the article. We wouldn't want the speculators, I mean investors in the oil industry, risking their money would we?
The terrorist attacks (by general politics, delivering weapons into regions of conflicts, by anonymously murdering people).
And the earth-quakes (by fracking).
Solution is simple for both cases - learn to behave in a civilized manner.
What cheek! How dares that planet threaten our national security! It's time to declare a War on Earth!
Wait... haven't we already?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
These are private oil storage facilities. If they are being threatened by human activity, this can be sorted out in the courts. If they are being threatened by natural disasters, insurance and diversification can sort it out. Furthermore, we have insane amounts of oil in the "strategic petroleum reserves" all across the country, which could easily absorb even a total loss. There is absolutely no reason for the US government to get involved in this; it simply amounts to crony capitalism. It is even more idiotic for a president and administration intending to reduce carbon emissions to subsidize the oil industry in this way.
What kind of retarded, twisted definition is the US govt. using to declare that random people and things are "national security threats"?
Lets not store important resources like this on fault lines! K thx bye.
Oklahoma earthquakes are abotu as much a security threat as Oklahoma drivers. How much sensationalization and overreaction can people tolerate?
Oklahoma Earthquakes are caused by wastewater injection wells, which are in need of regulation. Since the U.S. Congress are a bunch of weenies and won't pass anything rational, and since the Oklahoma government is largely owned by Oil and Gas, there won't be much done to resolve this until there is an expensive earthquake. It's not rocket science.
Perhaps we should take oil off the futures market?
That way, if the worst happens, we won't have to worry about it collapsing, because it won't be there to collapse?
I'm so burned out on TSA and warrentless wiretapping & security theater... that now i actively root for anything that is a threat to national security.
This country really would benefit from losing its national security blanket. Its time to man up & grow a pair America.
Fuck you and your national security too. Bring on the earthquakes!
And in 20 years, everyone will wonder why nobody saw the end coming.
That is because they had their heads stuck up their ass.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
But surely there are some 1%ers shorting the stock. Those guys (always guys, white guys to be exact, as the SJW remind us) might have to settle for a smaller yacht. Poor guys ;(
How do you think shit gets done/funded in the real world?
Y'know, people were saying this when my daughter was a kid 20 years ago.
And they were saying this when I was a kid 40 years ago.
Hell, from what my Dad has told me, they were saying it when HE was a kid too....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
Could we please begin to distinguish the activity of underground wastewater injection from fracking, the actual extraction of oil & gas?
As I understand it, the scientific consensus is that these earthquakes are the result of the former (which I consider the ultimate in 'sweeping under the rug'), not the latter.
Mission: To provide products that consume time and energy as entertainingly as permitted by the laws of thermodynamics.
Bush/Cheney has peed all over the US of A. An infectious pee. Those two and their gang should be in prison.
...and 30 years from now, you'll have wondered why the end didn't come ...with much regret, no doubt.
That is all. I have spoken.
Whether it is oil or coal we rarely hear any good news. We are building such a complex and interwoven national structure that we are ever more in danger from minor issues causing a cascade of very harmful events. Obviously we need to get both oil and coal out of our way of life as both lack any way to control their negative effects. Keep in mind that the city always spreads like a cancer ruining the more rural areas. It seems that we must consider making energy consumption a very local affair so that when system failures do occur in order to have an energy system that we can actually protect.
The summary doesn't say it, but the issue here is fracking. This talk of "National Security" is a diversion from that. They're shutting down wells near a storage site because of fear of earthquakes. That should be national news and cause a complete re-evaluation of the dangers of fracking. It's similar to how Wall Street executives spend billions lobbying against climate change while publicly acknowledging it in their SEC filings. It's about carefully controlling a narrative.
I hate to admit it but I can't complain too much. I live in a major city. Fracking doesn't effect me. My drinking water's clean and it doesn't hurt my property values. Meanwhile if I adjust for inflation gas is as cheap as it was when I was in high school. That's the only thing that's kept my head above water inflation wise. I know I'm being a NIMBY, and I should probably do something about it, but hell, what am I suppose to do? What I really wish is we could get the "Save the Whales and the Rain forests" idiots to shut up long enough to talk about environmental issues that impact us immediately. Like smog that causes asthma.
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The earthquakes have won!
You can get the same effect by dropping "nuclear" into any discussion.
I wish people would take the threat of gigantic boulders from outer space more seriously. The very existence of the human race is at stake.
Go to Hell... all of you. I have lived through them
5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
Somebody will be right at some point!
Yes, the idea goes back to Socrates and beyond. There are probably prehistoric cave drawings depicting the same thing.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
It seems like the much greater danger is the huge impact from the gigantic leap you took from fracking quakes (still unproven) to anything near a quake powerful enough to disrupt tanks strong enough to hold thousands of gallons of liquid - not to mention how much inertia those tanks have that is it's own resistance to quake damage.
A leap of that magnitude much have incalculable waves of every released on landing - thus I think we can all agree the frothing anti-fracking mind is the real danger here.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sounds like a problem of the energy companies, for the energy companies.
NOT a national security issue.
Terrorist attacks are considered exceptional events that indicate a total breakdown in civilization and its safeguards.
Natural disasters are not exceptional at all. The tank farm operators can move the damn farm.
And in 20 years, everyone will wonder why nobody saw the end coming.
That is because they had their heads stuck up their ass.
Ostriches with their heads stuck in fracking well holes ...
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
hell even Jeebus thought the end was comming in the apostles life time - so I guess God does love America!
What were they saying, hmm?
And how does it change the fact that fracking has started and then within months, the number of earthquakes in the area shot up thirtyfold?
What EXACTLY do you think you are saying, because, frankly, your post says FUCK ALL. It just has a sneering whine at everyone else for not being as "smart" as you.
Liberals... grow crops...?
You can't eat marijuana, dude. Other crops require more than lamps, you know.
Yes, the idea goes back to Socrates and beyond. There are probably prehistoric cave drawings depicting the same thing.
No, it does not. You have obviously never read any Plato or Socrates, so until you do shut up and stop repeating what people tell you.
Guess you would know more that the Smithsonian, right, professor?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
The recent hurricane in Mexico managed to miss any large cities. But if it had it had enough power to actually completely level a major city. If one of these super hurricanes smacks Miami, New Orleans or even New York it would bankrupt our nation.. I doubt that much of anything would survive wind gusts over 230 mph. with sustained winds of 200 mph.. But the sick part is that it is only a matter of time. Hurricanes will strike. They always do and with these super storms we all are in danger. So it is not just oil reservoirs but storms that could easily collapse our nation as well as other nations. And it gets worse. I seriously doubt that unless homes and businesses spent millions to harden themselves that new homes could even be built that could hold up to such storms with any confidence at all. And here we are with nothing at all being done to really protect our nation. We have denial over rising seas, global warming and the hazards of extracting too much water from the ground or fracking. People need to understand that such a strike by a major storm would take down the insurance industry which in turn would bust the banks as well as Wall Street leaving the masses with no pensions and no replacement for their dwellings or businesses. We have a very real chance of a financial holocaust triggered by such an event. And no having gold coins tucked away will do you no good at all. You simply can not eat gold or silver.
Terrorists can be marginalized. BP, Shell, and Chevron's fracking? Well, that's a trade secret. Their advice is to f* off.
I do play in the markets but I don't speculate on commodities. I think it would be interesting if those who speculated had to accept and store the commodities, however. That might help. I imagine you'd be less likely to speculate on hogsheads if you had to accept delivery and store 1,000,000 pounds of the stuff - same for oil.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
Several civilisations have come and gone since Socrates' time. The end *always* comes sooner or later. Statistically we are overdue.
Those 'rich whites' are not nordic whites. You point to jews, it's far more than 1% there are millions in the tribe from the richest to the less rich they all do their part in the scheme to take the world and they have, all that's left is to cull this territory and that's getting underway now.
The jews are a Race, the 'white' skin ashkenazi are part sephardic, bred with nordic whites to blend in and do their schemes. They are most all 'whites' in media, 'govt' the 'corporations', your fake smiley 'jew' neighbor fake sniveling their 'holo' bs to keep the fraud going while their plans finish off. other posts above has info. go to thread in the post, many links on others threads show how big the situation is. Jews are a race, they are not nordic whites, it was jews 'who brought the slaves to america' - by walter white archive.org. ignore dbs notes dumped onto the article he's a jew. The jews do the schemes, blame everyone else, bash general 'whites' and hide behind everyone else. See other posts and this thread
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/10/24/1946258/judge-tosses-wikimedias-anti-nsa-lawsuit-because-wikipedia-isnt-big-enough
click to show all comments, also slide bar over so they all show
the 'jeezus' bs was made up by jews so idiots 'turn the other cheek' 'love your enemy' suicide by jew, also the mohammed' fables so jews control and use other races to kill each other while they made up their own religion for their Jew Race to take over the world. The 'jeezus' bs was forced on the unwilling by racial jew constantine' then tortured into people in the 'inquisitions' which tortures were done by racial jews.
No excuse for anyone to continue swallowing the suicide, and now idiots have more slavery by jews, idiot 'phones' every 'tech' the 'wireless' bs, it was never for your benefit. Nano chip chemtrails, chemtrail virus. Get off your asses or die.
see - jew weather weapons - post above.
the jew are not just a religion, half in the scum tribe don't even bother with it, they are a Race. see other post and thread in post
Producers and consumers wouldn't use futures exchanges either if they had no way to close contracts early.
Also, maybe by "hogsheads" you meant lean hogs? As it happens, those contracts are settled by cash on CME, not physical delivery. Wouldn't scare off speculators that much.
Actually, I meant pork bellies. Yes, I suck that bad. :/ We could at least try it with oil. It'd be awesome to see some dude scrambling to secure his million barrels instead of holding it off-shore for the price to rise.
Hmm... Sorry, have to post AC. Something is eating my cookies and it logged me out trying to post this. It's probably obviously me, nobody else types the gibberish that I type.
KGIII
"Something is eating my cookies"
Well, obviously, you have a Cookie Monster infection....
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
While the greed pigs make money hand over fist before stealing away in the dead of night, leaving nothing but destruction (and dead-end, labyrinthine LLC shell companies) in their wake.
Great plan!
Jews / Judaism is not a race. If you have a learning disability you may not understand the chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population#Table
Actually it's not. What the intro blurb utterly failed to mention is that the the US petroleum pipeline distribution system is set up on what is essentially a spoke and hub system with the Cushing facility as the central node, and there is no redundancy. Catastrophic damage to Cushing shuts down the entire pipeline system and forces the products to be moved by truck and rail which is literally about an order of magnitude more expensive and there is not even close to enough rail and road tanker capacity to handle the demand. Losing the facility for a few days will cause a short term spike in prices which we can handle due to the current low price of oil. Lose it for a time span measured in months or years, and the entire country is in fairly severe economic trouble.
You jew troll scum distraction is a Zero. Your scum jewikipedia is full of shit as are you. You Jews are a RACE. The reason you're spewing your 'not a race' bs is so dupes don't realize you can be recognized by your FACES.
Others, go to this thread -
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/10/24/1946258/judge-tosses-wikimedias-anti-nsa-lawsuit-because-wikipedia-isnt-big-enough
click load all comments, slide bar over. Just like on this thread scum jews 'scored' up their own posts and computer generated crap to push my way down the thread when they originally were near the top, also note the scum jews distracting from my posts. I'm not going to rewrite it all here. You would Never find the information in my posts on your own now, beside most info being wiped off the web, the information took years of work. Time is short, copy the 'jew weather weapons' post further up, also the posts on the other thread to re read, give links to others -
The jew trolls loaded up more bs computer generated posts, 'scored' up posts to push my posts down thread. Scum jews desperate to distract.
- others, see 'jew weather weapons' post further below