June 17, 201016 yr http://www.examiner.com/x-325-Global-Warming-Examiner~y2010m6d12-US-reconsiders-Dutch-offer-to-supply-oil-skimmers Highlights from the article The U.S. Government has apparently reconsidered a Dutch offer to supply 4 oil skimmers. These are large arms that are attached to oil tankers that pump oil and water from the surface of the ocean into the tanker. Water pumped into the tanker will settle to the bottom of the tanker and is then pumped back into the ocean to make room for more oil. Each system will collect 5,000 tons of oil each day. One ton of oil is about 7.3 barrels. 5,000 tons per day is 36,500 barrels per day. 4 skimmers have a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day. That is much greater than the high end estimate of the leak. The Dutch offered to fly their skimmer arm systems to the Gulf 3 days after the oil spill started. The offer was apparently turned down because EPA regulations do not allow water with oil to be pumped back into the ocean Turning down the Dutch skimmers just shows a total lack of leadership in the oil spill. To just leave the oil in the water because regulations do not allow you to pump slightly polluted oil back into the ocean is just plain stupid. Using the Dutch skimmers should have prevented most of the oil from ever getting even close to shore.
June 17, 201016 yr It's a poorly written article, but does contain quite a bit of truth. We should have had the skimmers in place a long time ago.
June 17, 201016 yr Here's an article from the WaPo that gives some detail. The mistake was to rely on BP. If I'm reading it correctly they started getting help from other countries in late May and are now on round 2 of aid. EPA issues and govt red tape also played a part. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304232.html?sub=AR&sid=ST2010061305087
June 17, 201016 yr Here's an article from the WaPo that gives some detail. The mistake was to rely on BP. If I'm reading it correctly they started getting help from other countries in late May and are now on round 2 of aid. EPA issues and govt red tape also played a part. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304232.html?sub=AR&sid=ST2010061305087 2nd biggest problem in all this, after BP's issues.
June 17, 201016 yr 13 countries offered help... Obama turned them all down... Guess he didn't want any non-union help...
June 17, 201016 yr 13 countries offered help... Obama turned them all down... Guess he didn't want any non-union help... And has now reconsidered.
June 17, 201016 yr Really? It's too late? Using them now won't help at all? Maybe... Would it not have been better to accept their help when it was offered?? Why do you think he didn't want their help??
June 17, 201016 yr Maybe... Would it not have been better to accept their help when it was offered?? Why do you think he didn't want their help?? Because critics would have fussed that he was getting help from other countries when we should have been using our own workers to do it? Seriously, is there any answer, any move he could have made that would have been the right one?!
June 17, 201016 yr Maybe... Would it not have been better to accept their help when it was offered?? Why do you think he didn't want their help?? Why do you think that it might be too late for the oil skimmers to do any good? As to whether I think the help should have been accepted earlier, yes...see post #2 to this thread. I don't entirely know why the help wasn't accepted earlier, but I'm pleased that we are not continuing on the wrong path.
June 17, 201016 yr Because critics would have fussed that he was getting help from other countries when we should have been using our own workers to do it? Seriously, is there any answer, any move he could have made that would have been the right one?!Sure.. He could have accepted the offer as soon as they made it... You have an answer as to why he didn't??
June 17, 201016 yr Sure.. He could have accepted the offer as soon as they made it... You have an answer as to why he didn't?? You honestly don't think people would have fussed loudly and claimed that he sold out to the Europeans because he wants the US to become even more European? Because I'm sure that would have happened. The sad thing is I'm discussing this when ultimately they are looking to others for help I guess we can hope for improvements in the coming weeks in the gulf. And that's at least something.
June 17, 201016 yr Maybe... Would it not have been better to accept their help when it was offered?? Why do you think he didn't want their help?? Let me get this straight. Over the past few years we've had countless discussions that the US doesn't need anyone, or that the US shouldn't help anyone because no one helps us, or that the US is all-powerful and everyone else does everything wrong. NOW you want to blame the USA, or rather Obama, for not accepting help from others quickly enough. I really don't know how to justify the flip flop here. It boils down to an anti-Obama issue, nothing more. If the guy had accepted help on day one, you'd be in here still talking about SOMETHING you didn't like about it. :idunno: We can go it alone in the Iraqi situation....but we need help now.
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