The number of spills from offshore oil rigs and pipelines in U.S. waters more than quadrupled this decade, a trend that could have served as a warning for the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico, according to government data and safety experts.
The spills — and the amount of oil that leaked — grew markedly worse even when taking increases in production into account, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data shows. The leaks came as the oil industry repeatedly claimed that offshore drilling was never safer.
The same Louisiana officials who now whine about government response to the BP oil spill being inadequate – led the march of political lemmings backing the Gulf drilling industry. They all got their slice of the contribution pie.
From the early 1970s through the ’90s, offshore rigs and pipelines averaged about four spills per year of at least 50 barrels, according to the Minerals Management Service (MMS)…The average annual total surged to more than 17 from 2000 through 2009. From 2005 through 2009, spills averaged 22 a year.
The company with the most spills from 2000 through 2009 is BP, which leased the well spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf since April 20, according to the data. The oil giant and its affiliated companies reported 23 spills of 50 barrels or more, not including the latest blowout. Oil firm Shell was next with 21, according to MMS spill reports…
Richard Charter, a marine expert with the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, said the smaller spills should have foreshadowed bigger mistakes were on the way.
“Carelessness is usually a sign of impending disaster,” he said.
“Carelessness” is a sign of chickens getting ready to come home to roost.
Going all the way back to the Bush years eh? Why not draw contrasts over how long it took members of the mainstream media to bash the Bush and Obama Administrations over an environmental crisis?
I think they gave Bush something like 2 to 3 days before accusations of racism and other such things were thrown out there.
How long has it taken for the current administration? Why the leniency? Why the double standard?
Three ways to fix the current problem which seem to have fallen on deaf ears of the current administration: http://tinyurl.com/2bw49qg
Obama trying to do damage control over his inability to handle this situation after 49+ days of this crisis: http://tinyurl.com/24ebwar
Southern Louisiana is facing a double disaster. The first is the oil spill which is bad for fisheries and tourism. They are getting compensation for that. Hopefully most will make it.
The second even bigger disaster is the blanket command to stop drilling. That is going to put a huge number of people out of work and keep them out of work. I guess they go on the doll or leave.
Basically that is the Feds both times. First they were a little clareless about safety and next they just reacted with fear and shut everything down. So was the failure to make sure the dikes at New Orleans were as strong as they should be or nobody lived behind them but not to worry the Feds are putting the dikes back to where the were before they failed.
They are also telling everybody how much they care about the spill and what a wonderful job they are doing dealing with the problem.
Of course you can count on the government to take care of you, right.
Pretty quick on the keyboard there Guyver. Is playing partisan defense your profession, or just a really important hobby?
Hmm, curious, since the oil barons were (s)elected. Quite interesting. I wonder if it has anything to do with them.
Well then, seems the US government has been calling on venezuela for some oil safety advice. venezuela still bests them in spills & accidents increase so you still need to learn a lot more
3, Li,
I don’t care what the “standard” for bashing is so long as it’s consistent and applied the same way regardless of who the politician is.
The thread cites only going back to 2000 (which is probably not an accident) Given how much the current administration prefers to blame the past 8 years while taking no responsibility their own actions seems to fit why this thread only went back to 2000.
Either people needed to be all over Obama’s case 2 or 3 days after the oil crisis, or people should have given Bush a lot more than 2 or 3 days before playing the race card.
I’m just pointing out a double standard. If you call that “partisan defense” then that’s your prerogative.
#3
Foxnews, hmmm, where the reporters all claimed to let mother nature take care of it all.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, simply because it’s Hannity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyPzDoaNYjU
http://notes-from-offcenter.com/2008/09/26/sean-hannity-sucks-and-is-a-pathological-liar/
http://seandouchebaghannity.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/12/conservative-columnist-bl_n_214655.html
Like I said, I don’t know whether to cry or lmao.
Statement: “The thread cites only going back to 2000 (which is probably not an accident)”
What the thread actually says: “From the early 1970s through the ’90s, offshore rigs and pipelines averaged about four spills per year … …The average annual total surged to more than 17 from 2000 through 2009. From 2005 through 2009, spills averaged 22 a year.
I suppose we can wonder why the truth is being massaged here, but not the fact that it is being massaged.
You can’t compare the criticism of the Bush administration over Katrina to the Obama administration over the oil spill.
Katrina was:
An act of nature with no responsible party.
Forecast in advance.
Immediately followed by thousands of human lives at stake.
Could have benefited greatly by a quick, coordinated government response.
And all the original damage was done in one night.
The Gulf Spill:
Manmade
Developed over the course of weeks.
Had a presumably responsible private firm making their presumed best ongoing efforts at repairs.
Did not directly and immediately threaten the lives of thousands of people.
Unlikely to be remedied by government actions.
Apples and oranges, even if they are both served up Creole style.
The best experts in the world are doing what they can to address this environmental crisis with equipment and talent.
The Obama attack are coming from the former Busheeple’s and teabaggers trying to link lack of progress with lack of leadership. This is no floating bodies in New Orleans kind of disaster that came with weather forewarning.
What is clear is that dig dig dig crowd are hiding as you would expect and the Republicans bitches of the oil companies are creating spin that “nature will clean it up”.
Hopefully the general sheeple population will get weened off the oil tit although I know they will forget this 6 mo’ later.
Where are the Republican fat asses on the beaches soaking up oil using their XXXXXXL tee shirts? Why leave that to conservationists? WHy not plug the oil leak opening with Rush Limbaugh’s fat ass?
8, Bobbo,
Ooops. My apologies. I focused more on the headline of the thread and the embedded article’s title while placing it into context of how the current Administration tends to blame the previous administration for their lack of leadership / responses to a given situation. That’s what I get for multi-tasking.
9, Spsffan,
You can compare how each administration responded to these crisis regardless of their root cause. They’re both environmental crisis. From there you can also see how partisans from the left and the mainstream media play a double standard.
The fact that one environmental crisis is man-made while the other was natural is irrelevant.
Heck if you really want to be THAT anal over apples to apples, why no more daily reports of the death toll of American troops in Iraq or Afghanistan since Obama became president. We’re still fighting those wars, no? Why the loss in interest? It was pretty important to report under the previous administration. Regardless of how you feel about the two wars, the way they are getting reported are entirely different due to partisan politics within the mainstream media.
Guyver–I hate it when that happens. Good man!
#10 Extra Scooby snack for you
#13 Thanks. I know you appreciate the insight and that’s all you have to offer.
BTW, did the oil spill reach your village yet? What has the village elder have to say about this?
- An act of God?
- WTF is that?
- Oil! We’re rich!!
- When did the witch die?
WTF do you people expect from the President? Do you all think he has a freakin’ magic wand or something, and can just go, “Poof, all gone!”
Give me a freakin’ break already. This thing has been stewing for years!
Where did Bushco, Inc. make its ancestral money? What kind of company was Darth Cheney the CEO of?
Who had secret meetings with OIL COMPANIES, when they were first selected to occupy the White House?
OF COURSE IT GOES BACK TO 2000. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE! I blame Bushco, Inc. more for this than the current administration, because Bushco, Inc. is steeped in oil, and wanted to give those corporations the best breaks they could.
Dallas, you can’t plug the hole with Rush’s fat ass, because he’s on his honeymoon.
And as ugly as his new bitch is, maybe when they come back, she can scare the thing shut!
#12
LMAO, you really don’t.
#11
Actually, it’s very relevant. How much do you think we know about deep water? You actually think we have the sufficient expertise to fix this problem quickly? Seriously? Wow.
Add the above to cleaning up not just on shores/above water but the damages down there and it’s very very different.
Honestly, the lack of understanding on this very subject is astounding. I don’t know enough, but I know that we don’t know enough because not much has been done in deep water to properly address anything, let alone this disaster.
#14
Put a smile on my face, thanks
For those that dont know a few points of interest.
1. BP has bought out/leased others wells.
2. WELLS are created by 1 group, then SOLD tot he highest bidder.
3. BP is only an OIL SELLER, they didnt build most of the oil rigs.
NOW who is responsible? the builders of the rigs, or the LEASE HOLDER?
Tiny url should not be used to trojan horse a Hannity clip.
No use trying to blame Bush–the laws of this country shield the mentally incompetent from responsibility for their own actions.