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Think again

By Brandy Nance

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

“Drill, baby, drill.”

Those were the words of former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who by now should be eating her words as an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico since the oil rig accident in last month on the drill platform Deepwater Horizon, according to CNN.

Since the oil rig accident, the oil slick is spreading across the Gulf of Mexico and washing up on shore along the Louisiana barrier islands, also according to CNN. Multiple efforts to stop the flow of oil and plug the leak have failed.

BP, which operates the well and was leasing the rig from Transocean, inserted a tube into the well, which is designed to capture some of the oil and pump it to the surface, but it’s still unknown how much oil the tube will capture.

The effect of this accident is massive. Birds, fish, the fishing industry and even the tourism industry are feeling the effects of this accident. And it’s also important to remember the 11 lives that were lost when the rig exploded on April 20. More lives will be lost in the form of wildlife, including birds like terns, pelicans and plovers, to name only a few. The birds will be threatened if the oil reaches their habitat.

Although companies do take precautions to prevent accidents from happening, precautions are not foolproof, and one only has to turn on the television or pick up a paper to figure that out.

An article in Monday’s Gazette quoted Hines Trulock, who works for Diamond Offshore Drilling. Trulock talked about the precautions his company takes to prevent even a paper cut. This is commendable. But not foolproof.

Accidents happen. Lives are lost. And this generation, along with future ones, will pay for it.

Perhaps Palin should rethink her “Drill, baby, drill” motto in light of this horrible tragedy. The oil is indeed flowing freely in the Gulf — but not the way even Palin had hoped.

Brandy Nance

Reporter

Comments

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

I read Mr. Trulock's interview, he said that this is the first time we had an accident like this one. My contention is that just 1 event like this is too many. Alaska is still reeling from the Exxon spill many years ago, word is now this could head out in a current and up the East Coast, just keeps getting worse...

May 18, 2010 at 11:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bloomsbury (SC DIXON) says...

Reality check: SOMEONE is going to drill for that oil. China is already drilling in our hemisphere. Would you rather have a Chinese drilling platform off the coast of America or a British or an American drilling company? Do you think that they are equally as concerned or as trustworthy? Mexican standards and technology are in the Stone Age compared to China’s, let along ours, and they are drilling seemingly everywhere they can.

If the Chi-Com’s drill it means that the oil will be transported thousands of miles in tankers. Have you seen their tankers? Have you seen their safety record on ANYTHING, from toys to drilling to mining to manufacturing dry-wall? Oil tankers are far more prone to catastrophic accidents than drilling platforms are.

Do your homework and read about the Mexican Pemex spill in 1979 in the Gulf of México. How did that effect the ecology? It was a MUCH bigger spill but do you even remember it?

If you want to show your support then quit using oil. Do you think that is a reality in the near future? Planes crash, do we suspend air travel? Cars crash by the hundreds if not thousands every day, do we ban driving? What about the ecological nightmares caused by huge fires in California or hurricanes or tornado's and volcano's…yes, we must be as careful as careful can be, but it is simply unrealistic to call for any sort of ban of off-shore drilling, particularly since there are already so many restrictions on drilling on land.

Yes, rest assured, even if you ban drilling off of America’s coasts, the oil will still be harvested, and perhaps by those without our best interests at heart.

May 18, 2010 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Sarah Palin and won't vote for her.

Just wondering, how many years had that rig been operating? How many years ago did Mrs. Palin say that? So, is there really a connection or was this just political slander?

May 18, 2010 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

She was interviewed just recently, right after the gulf oil spill and said that despite this spill, she still believed that drilling should continue because the benefits still outweigh the number of accidents that occur. She didn't use those exact words, but I did see the interview on CNN where she explained briefly her belief in continuing.

May 18, 2010 at 4 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...

I believe it should continue too. People who are anti-republican criticize them for warring over oil-rich lands, calling them greedy, but then they criticize oil drilling that lessens our dependence on oil from those unstable countries. Meanwhile, the critics all use gasoline powered automobiles, lawn mowers, snowblowers, etc. as well as natural gas stoves, hot water heaters, furnaces, etc.

I appreciate bloomsbury's comments above. Very good points.

May 18, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

tbluma (anonymous) says...

Brandy
While we all hate to see this happen your article loses all credibility with me when you bring MS. Palin's name into it. What in the hell does she or any other politcian have to do with it, no matter what side of the fence they're on?

May 18, 2010 at 4:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )