Oil rig backgrounder inspires questions about Deepwater explosion

By Kay B. Day

The 'Ocean Energy' study guide for schoolchildren published by MMS provides a wealth of information about offshore drilling and US energy policy.Despite being bombarded with live video and constant coverage of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP’s corporate character, most people probably know little about deepwater drilling. It’s a complex subject, but the Minerals Management Service, part of the US Dept. of the Interior, has some very user-friendly information. Ironically it’s featured in a children’s booklet, ‘Ocean Energy,’ designed for use in schools.

The booklet does not have a publish date, but based on the content, it appears to have been created after 1997. So data included in the backgrounder cannot be pinpointed beyond that date. In some facts I have used the text verbatim, in other places I have filled in the name of the president primarily because President Ronald Reagan, unlike the others mentioned, was referred to only as ‘the president.’

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Missing from coverage of Obama’s speech: reality energy

By Kay B. Day

[Image of Earth from NASA, US Government.]We gathered ‘round the TV to listen to President Barack Obama’s speech about the oil spill last night, and as usual, he delivered with panache. There is no more capable orator than our president. His speechwriter did well too, injecting terms as symbols of a warrior president, terms like ‘battle’ and ‘siege.’ But while I praise the delivery of the speech, I take issue with the substance. And pundits are missing a key element that is also missing—reality energy.

Obviously the president wants the damages from the Deepwater Horizon explosion remedied and reimbursed. But the president obviously also wants to push an energy bill and he wants to stymie deepwater drilling because of greater risk.

Via the moratorium, Obama has dealt the US another economic blow, courtesy of politics rather than principles of good governance.

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Rubio frames good question for BP, expands respect in blogosphere

By Kay B. Day

Presumed GOP nominee for the Florida Senate Marco Rubio keynoted CPAC 2010.This morning former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio was on Fox and Friends doing an interview about the BP oil spill. As that interview aired, content was popping up on some of the most influential blogs on the Web. On TV and in the blogosphere, he looked and talked like a US senator.

He brought up a point no one else is talking about in depth—what went wrong on the rig at Deepwater Horizon? What caused the explosion?

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Private sector and government ignored the ‘what if’ factor in BP crisis

By Kay B. Day

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Dave Martin, a specialist in hazardous material and oil spill response, lowers a fluorometer into the Gulf of Mexico, May 27, 2010. The device collects water samples and field data, which help environmental scientists determine the effectiveness of dispersants, used to break down oil. [USCG photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Pinneo.]The explosion at Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico has stymied the corporate sector and the government sector on an effective solution to oil gushing ever upwards. President Barack Obama said the buck stops with him on dealing with the disaster and it’s a no-brainer to conclude that BP corporate will do everything within the company’s power to stop the gusher. Obviously this accident is something no one thought of.

Why not?

Short answer: government obsession with global warming/climate change and BP’s obsession with cost cutting in the interest of profit.

I’m deliberately omitting conspiracy theories about why the exploratory well blew because we don’t know enough about it yet.

For years government has been maniacally obsessed with global warming/climate change in large part due to failed presidential candidate Al Gore’s promotional efforts.

But the fact remains the world runs on carbon.

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