American Morning
Oil workers suffer from deep water drilling ban
(CNN) – Images of the oil spill are horrifying to all of us, especially to the people who live and work in the Gulf. But what's equally upsetting is the shutdown of new work in the oilfields, an industry that provides so many jobs for the region.
The Obama administration said it would lift the ban on new shallow water permits after implementing new safety requirements, but the ban on deep water drilling will continue for many months. That has raised concerns of a second economic disaster in southern Louisiana – first fishing, now oil and gas.
Our John Roberts went down to Port Fourchon, Louisiana to see the pain firsthand.
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Well , what are they gonna do when AUGUST comes and goes and there is still 2 miilion gallons a day spewing into the gulf? And September, october, november?
Regarding BP filing for bankruptcy, in 2007, 2008 & 2009; BP claims after tax profits of approximately $21, $21 and $17 BILLION respectively (from their website). They also claim Proven Reserves of 18.3 Billion Barrels of Oil Equivalent (BOE). The company should be able to stave off bankruptcy talk for a little while yet.
Candeebr
The government should make researching and developing alternative energy sources a priority. Whether they do that by directly funding programs; encouraging energy companies and small business owners to invest in alternative energy technology thru tax incentives or any other creative means is a different but important discussion.
The oil addiction? The American people have to want to change and drive that change. No one else can do it. It's almost like any other addiction; the person has to admit there is a problem to begin with. America makes up approximately 5% of the world population but uses approximately 22% of the daily global oil production. Why is that? If every person in China used as much oil as every American, there would only be enough daily oil production to keep China going. When the American people get serious about changing, then let the conversation begin about shutting down domestic drilling. An emotional kneejerk response to the incident (shutting down drilling) will lead to higher fuel related costs and more imports. And I know the American people will complain about that.
Curious by holding BP responsible. . . that's great if they don't file for bankruptcy.
Kebo: Our government should be spending money to get us off our addiction.
Can't we just buy oil from China like we do everything else?
Yep. Shut down drilling everywhere. We can all use unicorn milk for our energy needs. Idiots!
No question that this is the most severe environmental diastaster that the country has faced. Don't even begin to forget about the 11 people lost in the initial explosion and their friends and families. However, I work in the oil industry. Stopping deepwater drilling and production activities is not the answer. Holding BP and their personnel accountable is the answer. This event was preventable. The people on the rig from BP and from their onshore operations department missed events and/or acted wrongly in the hours leading up to the explosion. Without the explosion, there are no fatalities and/or pollution. That is the root cause of the problem. Will more legislation help? Maybe. But it all comes down to the people doing the job and the values of the company paying the bills; in this case BP. Hold BP accountable. Let the offshore industry continue to work. Barrels of oil not produced in the Gulf of Mexico will have to be made up with imports from some other country (that may not really like us anyway such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and/or Iraq as examples). Are you ready and willing to put some money into peoples pockets that may not like you? Barrels of oil not produced from the Gulf of Mexico may also result in the oil price going up. Are you ready and willing to accept that?
I'm sorry but these people need to find new jobs. It sucks but we need to stop deciding everything on how much money people are making and learn to accept the growing pains that will take place with the pursuit of a better tomorrow.
We can achieve both objectives by simply holding big oil fully responsible for any spills–while allowing drilling. That way, we keep the jobs, we get the oil, and, if things go wrong, we get even more jobs–all paid for by big oil–in the clean up. Hard to lose.
People are begining to think that maybe BP doesn't want to stop the leak until after they drill two more deep wells. This way they make money.
If the oil leak stops 100%-BP will not be getting any oil out of that site for a very long time. If BP stops the leak 100%, the focus will be cleaning up this mess before any additional risky drilling takes place.
The media should try to illustrate how much additional money BP loses if the oil stops flowing.
The media needs to focus more on the risk envolved letting BP drill 2 more wells. This problem could get even worse.
That sucks. My dad was sad when his job was outsourced, but he got over it and found new work. These guys should stop lamenting and start learning a new skill.
Right on MemphisSlim! I'm afraid near-term history is going to make you a clairvoyant; the future of exploitation economics (hopefully for the planet) looks more and more bleak. But I'm also afraid what's in store will be not for the faint-of-heart!
I live in Northern Middle Tennessee and have a natural gas well on my property. Oil was hit at 350 feet and gas at 500 feet and produces 1mcf per day. I can not get a company to come and drill the oil down to the 800 to 1000 feet needed to hit the motherload! There is oil ON SHORE and at much shallower depths with NO danger to wild life. Some of the off-shore, out of work drillers could come inland and still work.
Ken: your question:
June 9th, 2010 10:47 pm ET
It is DISGUSTING to use a national disaster to push a political agenda. I was sickened when i turned on the TV and heard the words "Cap and Trade" in the same sentence as the BP disaster. When has a whole industry ever been banned from operating for a period of time?
Remember the airlines after 9/11. They were not allowed to fly, their has been others also, I just remember that one really well.
I am sure that a lot of businesses in the non-digital camera industry have suffered due to digital cameras too. And they weren't even ruining the environment at the same time. Change with the times or get run over – it happens a lot to smaller and non-oil businesses – who don't have BP's $$.
BP has the ability to make changes and make whatever improvements they can for safety and they have repeatedly refused to do so. And lobbied the government to not force them to. Both are equally guilty for this environmental disaster. And let's not forget, 11 people died.
Ummm, Ken – You asked, "When has a whole industry ever been banned for operating for a period of time?" Have you forgotten the airline industry after 9/11?
@WTF: "I could care less about their well being when we have the largest diaster our country has faced."
Largest disaster we have faced? indeed WTF are you talking about? Guess 9/11 wasn't so bad was it?
It appears that the BP executive bullied the oil rig workers into the recent tragedy.
Since the oil-rig workers' job concerns are so short-sighted perhaps we should find some alternative environment-killing employment to appease them-like maybe putting them to work as loggers to speed up deforestation in the Amazon Basin. That way they can have that familiar thrill of rolling the dice with Mother Nature.
I could care less about their well being when we have the largest diaster our country has faced. Would it be smart to continue to drill when we have realized that all of our rigs need to be examined further. The MMS and Big Oil have done everything in their power to bypass standard safety regulations in order to make money so oil workers join the rest fo the unemployed or work with your company to help inspect the rigs so this doesn't happen.
Start WALKING. Ride a bike. Turn down the A/C, lose some weight, buy local, grow a garden, teach a child to read. Park the car, stop complaining and do something.
The gubment ain't going to do it for you.
American Morning,
Love your show, but why do you continue to replay the same 1/2 dozen or so Gulf news stories over your 3-hour period, when there is so many other dimensions and aspects to the overall crisis? As an example, I was amazed at what is financially happening to BP in London. Apparently, BP may consider bankruptcy over the next 11 days to limit damages, a potential takeover bid is/was tendered by a Chinese company (PetroChina) to takeover BP, and the British Govt. is putting pressure on US Govt. to limit damages.
Don't get me wrong, I hate BP, but their finanical health over the next year or so is extremely important to pay for all the damages resulting from this disaster.
Oh yeah these are the same companies that drew us into a war in Iraq for Oil. Vengeance is mine says the Lord.
The oil industry brought this unto themselves. They have been told to move away from oil/fossil fuels for a very long time. They have been destroying God's creation for a very long time. BP has been lying about the oil disaster and the amount So on June11 the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On June 12 we celebrate the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On June 13 the Day of the Lord a Great Earthquake will rise up out of the Sea to destroy the oil that flows from the abyss
It's common knowledge that when you shut down an industry that people get laid off were all scared stupid ?
It is ludicrus for deep oil drilling to begin again until the government can get its act together and regulate the oil companies effectively. We have the worst environmental disaster in the history of our country and we don't even know if this will ever be cleaned up. Many more thousands of jobs have been permanently ruined and these oil field workers are worried about their jobs?
It is DISGUSTING to use a national disaster to push a political agenda. I was sickened when i turned on the TV and heard the words "Cap and Trade" in the same sentence as the BP disaster. When has a whole industry ever been banned from operating for a period of time?
Like this is even a close call – how bad does it have to get to understand the need to do this. Blame BP & understand why you never skimp on safety.
have you read the news recently? profit makes people bypass safety measures, and a lot of your own taxes will finance cleanups. Is this what you want?
Rick,
Do you think perhaps BP opened up a volcano beneath the ocean? Do you think messing with what supports the ocean floor is wise? Are we in over our heads?
Makes one wonder if someone came out tomorrow with an all electric car or an energy source that would make drilling for oil, especially in the Gulf and wildlife preserves, a thing of the past, how then would the thousands of big oil employees survive? Talk about your "TO BIG TO FAIL" business!
Drilling for oil has become more of a jobs program for the thousands of employees, since we know the technology is already here to cut oil consumption in 1/2 by tomorrow, if the consumer where given a good enough incentive to go out and purchase a hybrid vehicle and install solar or geothermal in their homes. But Oil is still very big business for all those "Fat Cats" connected with the Cheney's & Bush's at the top of the food chain. Over the same period our country has been engulfed in an economic depression, when the average consumer could us a price break at the pump, profits of Big Oil have skyrocketed!
We have all heard it said, the US is a "Government of the people for the people by the people" but it looks more and more like the US is a "Government of the Politicians who are controlled by the corporations who have taken control away from the people".
Be prepared for the next disaster! The price of oil is about to go up, to compensate BP for the lost revenue! Yet another bump in the road toward economic recovery!
And what happens if they lift the ban and we have another spill? People will be calling for Obama's head. If they're not interested in finding out how to prevent another disaster then by all means drill. Just don't cry to the rest of us.
In my opinion, they just as well get used to it. In 20-30 years, there will be very little oil left down there. And, the few fish that are left won't be fit to eat.
Norway Statol has the safest record in the world for Deepwater drilling, and they today announced a freeze on any further development. Big Oil and the energy industry in total have repeatedly lied, deceived, and deluded the people, the press, and worst of all the government, on their ability to operate in total safety. Opening the leases up is just inviting the next major disaster.
But then again, the Gulf is as good a wasteland as the Balkan Oil fields, and the Sinai desert. Anyone who suggests this will be over in years or even decades, only need to look at Prudou Bay, AK from the Exxon Valdez spill, which was miniscule to what the total of this one will be. This is not Pres. Obama's anything. It is America's Chernobyl.